Mumbai, July 18 -- Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey on Saturday said that the Lok Sabha Speaker's approval for the merger of six party MPs into the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena "weakened democracy."

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This takes the Shiv Sena's strength to 13, reducing UBT Sena to three members in the Lok Sabha.

The six MPs included Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Omprakash Rajenimbalkar.

In a self-made video, Anand Dubey alleged that the decision was taken without consulting both sides. Recalling the split led by Shin...