Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat launched a sharp attack on the Thackeray brothers during a press conference held ahead of the upcoming monsoon session. Accusing them of failing Mumbai, Shirsat claimed that both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray were responsible for the city's decline and indicated major political developments in the near future.
Shirsat announced that "Operation Tiger" will soon be implemented, hinting at a significant political shift within Mumbai’s municipal governance. According to him, more than 40 office bearers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have already joined the Shinde faction, and several grassroots workers will follow starting next Monday.
When asked by journalists about the identity of the "Tiger" in Operation Tiger, Shirsat confidently responded, “Our only Tiger is Eknath Shinde Saheb.”
He also criticized the Saamana newspaper, run by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, stating, “Not a single prediction made in Saamana has come true in the last two and a half years. Their inauspicious editorials hold no weight.”
Shirsat made it clear that the upcoming Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections would favor the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP alliance, asserting that “Saffron will prevail in Mumbai.”
He ruled out any possible reunion between Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, commenting, “They have tried forming alliances with parties like the Samajwadi Party and AIMIM. It is impossible for them to come together.”
He added, “Raj Thackeray has nothing to do with misleading Mumbai. On the contrary, he has proposed development blueprints several times. But Uddhav Thackeray, driven by corruption, led the city astray.”
On Vaishnavi Hagwane Case: Shirsat declined to comment on reports of the Minister of State for Home Affairs granting permission to Nilesh Chavan, saying he was unaware of the developments.
On Tuljapur Drug Case: He assured that “Legal action will be taken. But no one can be punished without due process.”
On Ambadas Danve's Remarks to the Governor: Responding to comments made by the Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council, Shirsat said, “It’s not worth responding to someone who doesn’t even own the issue. Danve's bankruptcy will be exposed soon.”
On Uddhav Faction’s Political Campaign: Dismissing the “What happened to your argument?” campaign, Shirsat said, “All that remains for them is to clap and sing songs. They have nothing else left.”
Concluding the press conference, Shirsat hailed Eknath Shinde as a transformative leader, stating, “Eknath Shinde is our doctor. He removed the noose from Sanjay Raut’s neck and brought hope back to the people. He holds the solution to every challenge.”