Amid speculation that some Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs may defect, party chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Jattvibeday held a meeting with party MPs at Matoshree in Mumbai.Dismissing rumours of an internal rift, party leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said that apart from him, three other MPs attended the meeting in person, while five joined virtually, including one over phone.The development comes amid speculation over what is being referred to in political circles as ‘Operation Tiger’ — some MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) may join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and boost the latter’s strength in the Lok Sabha ahead of the monsoon session.After the meeting, Raut mocked “Operation Tiger”, saying: “We are all tigers. We are not going to be scared. We are going to launch Operation Wolf.”Asserting that the party’s parliamentary group remained intact, Raut added: “There is nothing to fear. All our MPs are united and will remain strong and united.”Another party leader Anil Desai said that regular meetings of MPs and MLAs were held and there was nothing unusual about the gathering. Desai further asserted that all nine MPs were united and dismissed media reports of internal rifts as “absolutely wrong”.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Raju Waghmare said there was no ‘Operation Tiger’ and no such plan in place. He added that the party already enjoyed a full majority and was not involved in any such activity. Waghmare further described the meeting convened by Uddhav Thackeray as an internal party matter.The meeting of the Shiv Sena (UBT) comes at a time when political tensions have escalated within the TMC, following the party’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election. The Trinamool Congress has witnessed splits within both the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Parliament.