India, July 11 -- Fresh political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra after photographs allegedly showing six rebel MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi before their defection to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena surfaced in the public domain. The images have reignited debate over the events leading up to the split, widely referred to as 'Operation Tiger'.

According to the report, the meeting took place on June 17, when the six MPs met Om Birla at his Delhi residence and submitted a letter seeking recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha. The rebel MPs reportedly argued that they opposed any move by Uddhav Thackeray to merge his faction with the Congress and had secured the numbers required to...