The Shiv Sena’s latest offensive of storming the office of the chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Shashank Manohar to sabotage talks on organising cricket matches between India and Pakistan, is yet another manifestation of the party’s hubris. It also indicates that the BJP is either willingly allowing the Sena to go ahead with its antics, or has no political competence to rein in its saffron ally.
The Sena’s act comes close on the heels of NCP chief Sharad Pawar hosting Union Minister Arun Jaitley on the former’s home turf Baramati, where Jaitley praised Pawar and said that India needed at least 100 Baramatis, stopping short of saying that the country needed 100 Sharad Pawars! Jaitley’s visit comes after a similar visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had praised Pawar and said that he is touch with Pawar and consults him at least twice or thrice a month. The moot question is whether Pawar endorses BJP’s policies and whether BJP approves Pawar brand of politics. Also, what message this hobnobbing will send to the public at large, when senior NCP leaders like Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal are facing probes for financial irregularities while running the previous government.
The agitation by the Sena on Monday also came close on the heels of a series of such acts, including the threats to disrupt Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali’s concerts (that were subsequently cancelled) and the blackening of face of the organiser of former Pakistani minister Khurshid Kasuri’s book release. After the incident, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray felicitated his foot-soldiers involved in vandalism, while party spokesperson Sanjay Raut made it clear that the Sena would continue with its opposition to Pakistani dignitaries. However, despite clear indication from the Sena, the BJP could not (or did not) anticipate any hooliganism by Sena men at the BCCI office. The protestors who had a field day, carried placards written not only in Marathi but also in Hindi and English (for the benefit of non-Marathi TV watchers).
Considering that some fanatic Hindutva groups, which are interested in issues like building the Ram temple in Ayodhya and evolving a common civil code, are also disappointed with the BJP, the possibility of the Sena reaching out to them cannot be ruled out. The Sena’s bid to project itself as being more patriotic than the BJP stems from its political considerations and fears.
The Sena belongs to the ruling alliance led by the BJP in Maharashtra as well as in the Parliament. If it is so serious about its opposition to Pakistani visitors and is claiming that what Sena men are doing is the reflection of public opinion, it has the option of raising this issue in the Parliament. Sena MPs can attempt to convince the BJP on snapping all ties with Pakistan. But, for a party that believes that blackening faces or vandalising offices is democratic, any constitutional procedure (except contesting elections) would be a disgrace. The Sena is trying to project itself as the most patriotic party in the country as well as the ultimate party with a deeper shade of saffron than the BJP.
After Uddhav was slighted by the BJP by not being invited for the ground-breaking ceremony of Dr B R Ambedkar’s national memorial at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena has made it an emotive issue for its cadres. Even Sena ministers met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and conveyed their anguish over Uddhav’s insult. Besides, the Sena has become jittery over two counts: it has lost its status as the dominating partner in the saffron alliance in the state; and its most important citadel- the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)- is under threat from the BJP in the forthcoming civic polls.
The Sena and the BJP had contested the last assembly polls without a pre-poll alliance and when the BJP emerged as the single-largest party short of clear majority in the last assembly polls, the Sena faced a dilemma. The Sena had the choice of becoming the main opposition party, being the second-largest party in the House, or joining the BJP in the ruling alliance. It vacillated for almost a month before deciding to join the Fadnavis government. The NCP had offered its support during the interlude. Had the Sena chosen to remain in the opposition, it might have gained much more political mileage as an individual party and nurtured its votebanks much better than it is doing now. After joining the Fadnavis cabinet, the Sena has been relegated to a servile position, with few ministerial berths and unimportant portfolios. Besides, political appointments on state-run panels and corporations are put on hold. Sena ministers have been complaining of being sidelined by their BJP counterparts in running the government.
Now, the Sena is struggling to come to terms with reality. Jittery over the possibility of losing power in the BMC, where the BJP has already started exposing financial irregularities, the Sena wants to hit out at the BJP below the belt. Hence, when Modi expressed displeasure over Dadri lynching and the Ghulam Ali incident, Sena’s spokesperson Sanjay Raut taunted Modi on Godhra. Raut said that the world knew Modi because of Godhra and the Sena used to love him for being a Hindutva hardliner. The hint was that Modi had diluted his Hindutva, while the Sena had kept it intact. Considering that some fanatic Hindutva groups, which are interested in issues like building the Ram temple in Ayodhya and evolving a common civil code, are also disappointed with the BJP, the possibility of the Sena reaching out to them cannot be ruled out. The Sena’s bid to project itself as being more patriotic than the BJP stems from its political considerations and fears. Therefore, Sena leaders continue to rake up issues against Pakistani visitors. Though Raut himself might have visited Pakistan or Pakistani cricketers or singers may have been patronised by the Thackeray clan, it does not matter to the Sena as long as its foot-soldiers read ‘Saamna’ and believe in the Sena brand of patriotism. It rejuvenates them and gives them licence to vandalise and flex muscles on the streets of Mumbai, taking pride that the Sena cannot be tamed. The consolidation of voters in the name of religion and nation is the ultimate thing that would ensure the Sena’s political survival in future. The current spell of vandalism by the Sena is clearly aimed at rejuvenating its ranks and file for the next BMC polls.
The BJP, on its part, has tried to dominate the Sena, which has been reduced to being a junior partner in the saffron alliance in the state after the assembly polls last year. The BJP wants to be in power on its own and wants to go to any extent to grab or hijack even an official event like the Dr Ambedkar Memorial Project. The BJP turned it into a party affair, not bothering to invite even Uddhav. Ideally, considering that a national memorial was being initiated, the BJP should have invited leaders of all parties. Fadnavis did invite leaders of various Dalit factions, but it was apparently to address the Dalit votebank exclusively for itself.
As far as the Sena is concerned, the BJP is apparently giving it some calculated space, as a face-saving device. For instance, after Sena men blackened Sudheendra Kulkarni’s face and threatened to disrupt the book release function, the BJP deployed additional security force, compelling Sena to drop its plan and allow the book release. The mellowing down may have its benefits for the Sena, as the BJP may expand the state cabinet in the near future to accommodate some Sena aspirants.
