Eknath Shinde's ‘zor ka jhatka’ jibe at Shiv Sena UBT day after Raut's 'gave birth to traitors' swipe

MAharashtra surrogate chief government minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on tues took a swipe at the Shiv Sena (UBT) after sestet Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led company crossed over to his camp, saying that the opposition had lost its "mental balance" following a "zor ka jhatka" (severe shock).On Monday, six of the nine Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in the Lok Sabha, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patil, officially joined the Shinde Sena in the presence of party supremo Eknath Shinde.ALSO READ | Ecostani: The time has come to overhaul the anti-defection lawNotably, a war of words has been ongoing for several weeks between the leaders of the two factions ever since the reports surfaced that some Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs were considering leaving the party and joining the Shinde faction.Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has repeatedly attacked the MPs, branding them "traitors". He has gone even further to say that Shinde had been "pregnant" and had now "delivered six MPs" in a jibe at the deputy CM.Shinde mocks Sena (UBT)Targeting the Uddhav Thackeray camp, Eknath Shinde said the opposition had lost its "mental balance" after suffering a “zor ka jhatka”.His remarks followed after legislators from Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) staged a walkout over speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision to allow ministers to reply to questions related to other departments. Later, Congress and NCP (SP) MLAs returned to the House, while Sena (UBT) members stayed away.Referring to the partly empty opposition benches, Shinde said those who boycotted the proceedings were wasting the House's time with "meaningless chatter" because they no longer had real issues to raise, news agency PTI reported.Without directly mentioning Shiv Sena (UBT), he said: "Yesterday they got a 'jor ka jhatka' (severe shock) and their mental balance is disturbed... And more shocks await them."Earlier in the day, opposition leaders objected to Rahul Narwekar assigning responsibility for certain departments to a limited number of ministers during the ongoing monsoon session.Sena (UBT) slams Shinde over defectionShiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he would soon share his response to the recent developments within the party amid the major political setback."When I feel the time is right, I will call the media and speak to you. Let them present their position. We will soon put forward our side as well," he said.Before the MPs formally switched sides, Thackeray had told supporters and party workers in Mumbai that he was ready to resign if they no longer had confidence in his leadership. "I am not someone who will run away in the face of challenges, but if you don't have trust in me, I am willing to step down," he said while addressing party workers on Shiv Sena's 60th foundation day on Friday.Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut has stepped up attacks against the rebel MPs and Eknath Shinde over the defections. He said the identities of the "hidden traitors" had finally become clear after they joined the Shinde faction."Just as covered statues are unveiled, the faces of hidden traitors have also been revealed. They say we did not respect them. If there was no respect in our party, then what were they doing here for so many years?" he said during a press conference.He also launched a fresh attack on Shinde, saying he had undergone a 'Caesarean procedure' to give birth to 'six traitors'."A Kenyan woman holds a record for giving birth to quintuplets, but a cradle of six traitors is now swaying in 'Nandanvan' (the official residence of Shinde). Shinde has given birth to six 'gaddars' (traitors)," he told reporters.Notably, Shinde said his camp had fulfilled all "legal, parliamentary and constitutional requirements" for official recognition of the breakaway group. However, the Lok Sabha speaker's office has not yet made any announcement on the matter.With inputs from agencies