Dagger No. 2 of Maharashtra politics
The back-to-back rallies by prominent politicians in Maharashtra are similar to unseasonal rains because those come at a time when the state is not facing any major election program. Furthermore, the rallies expose the mindset of leaders, also it hardly attracts commoners who are facing several issues such as inflation. The tone and tenor of the rallies laced with denunciations of leaders also indicate the level of campaigning for the impending elections to local as well as civic bodies across the state.
Soon after the public meeting addressed by Shiv Sena party chief and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday, May 14 at the Bandra-Kurla complex, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, offered his reply to the criticism by Thackeray while addressing his party workers at Nesco Center in Goregaon. His reply came with some harsh words and expletives showing how radically he has changed as a leader. Though a few of his statements may have caused an uproar, one statement at least should not go unnoticed.
“You stabbed me in the back and tried to diminish me politically. But remember, this Devendra Fadnavis will ensure the Babri structure of your government comes down”, thundered the leader of the opposition. The statement doesn’t look so simple or straightforward, so it’s not easily overlooked.
Dagger no. 1
Political dagger is not new to Maharashtra. In 1978, Sharad Pawar toppled the Vasantdada Patil-led alliance government comprising Reddy Congress and Indira Congress and formed the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) government with the help of allies. By doing so, he has stabbed Dada’s back, which were the words used then to describe the political turmoil. This episode is still known as one of the most controversial ones in the political history of Maharashtra. The phrase- Pawar stabbed in Dada’s back still refuses to be erased from the public mind.
Despite this setback, Vasantdada reclaimed the post of the chief minister twice purely on his caliber. Pawar himself became the chief minister three times after that. Hence it will be curious to see whether Fadnavis will be able to regain the post of the chief minister.
This raises the curiosity level thanks to the political maneuvering currently being displayed by the BJP with some shrewd moves. Fadnavis has said that Thackeray tried to reduce his political weight by stabbing him with a dagger. Such a statement was never made by Fadnavis ever since he lost the political battle in November 2019.
The camaraderie between Fadnavis and Thackeray
Fadnavis was heading the BJP’s state unit in 2014 when his party announced severing its ties with the Shiv Sena with a decision to go solo for the state assembly elections. Fadnavis, who sat through the media briefing to announce the decision, chose to keep mum and let his then-senior colleague Eknath Khadse make the announcement. It was a strategic move since he kept his line of communication open with Matoshree, the residence of Thackerays, which proved useful when he took over as the chief minister in November the same year as the Shiv Sena joined his government the next month.
Sena decided to join the government just to help the Fadnavis government to complete its term. The Sena always maintained a safe distance from BJP by pursuing its political agenda. Uddhav Thackeray was cautious and he never hesitated to criticize the government on certain decisions. The Shiv Sena ministers from the state cabinet rarely allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture to go with the advertisements released by the departments with them. On the contrary, Sena ministers would insist on carrying the photograph of the party chief Uddhav Thackeray, which was against the government norms.
Shiv Sena was cautious
The Sena cadre may have believed that systematic attempts were made to reduce its clout. Accordingly, the party was alert and looking for political options which later became evident when the three-party government came to power. One may not confidently say that there was minimum or no dialogue between Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray during the days of the BJP-Shiv Sena government. It was because the BJP had decided to accept the political independence of the Shiv Sena, as much as possible. The personal dialogue between Fadnavis and Thackeray went on very well.
Later in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP not only gave in to the demands of Shiv Sena for the seats it wanted but also offered its sitting MP as the candidate (Rajendra Gavit in Palghar). Despite that Shiv Sena cadre was alert, and during the state assembly elections when the party came to know about some political moves against its candidates- at the behest of the BJP, it took the bold decision of parting ways.
Sena’s decision diminished Fadnavis’s politics
The Sena refused to rejoin the Fadnavis-led government. Here the political clout of Fadnavis was diminished- that’s why one can easily differentiate between Fadnavis before 2019 and now. The BJP leader has made his plans clear by using some harshest words against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in general and Shiv Sena in particular. The central government is also putting its might behind Fadnavis making the days of the Shiv Sena-led government uncomfortable. Otherwise, the Sena cadre would not have felt the need to show how Hindutva is close to their heart.
At the same time, Thackeray’s speeches are more like the party chief than the chief minister. He prefers to concentrate on Shiv Sena’s political ideology rather than the performance of the MVA government. It could be due to a series of controversial cases revealed against prominent faces of the MVA. The BJP is trying to confuse the MVA making the government unstable and forcing it to commit big mistakes, which will ultimately help the BJP. But the BJP’s success will depend on the way people take it. It is better not to be under the illusion that it is for the government alone to behave responsibly and people will turn a blind eye towards the tricks, tantrums, and the words used by the opponents.