The revolt that began within Shiv Sena a fortnight ago concluded with a complete change in power equations within Maharashtra. Senior party leader Eknath Shinde shook the base of the party, and the clout of the Thackerays, by revolting against Sena’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance with NCP and Congress in the state.
With nearly two-thirds of the party MLAs (39 of them) supporting, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backing him from the start, Eknath Sambhaji Rao Shinde has emerged as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis has assumed the role of the Deputy Chief Minister to be part of the new government. Not many in Maharashtra political circles would have anticipated a climax like this, even Uddhav Thackeray and the master strategist Sharad Pawar.
The role of the BJP behind the revolt became candid when Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Koshyari. However, even the BJP leadership would not have foreseen the size and strength of the MLAs who rebelled, which has now reduced the father-son duo Uddhav and Aditya Thackeray into an erstwhile family of glory, with a dozen loyalists by their side.
Rebel camp at Radisson Blu Hotel, Guwahati
It all started ten days back. Quickly it started unfolding into some nail-biting political moments in Maharashtra. A bulk of rebelling MLAs under the stewardship of Eknath Shinde moved to Surat, and from there, they flew to Guwahati and went incognito to the Shiv Sena party leadership. They camped at the Radisson Blu hotel with armed security cover provided by the center. The rebel group size kept growing, and as many as 39 MLAs and 9 of the 14 ministers in the state were by Eknath Shinde’s side.
Emotional Uddhav and Sena threats
Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray tried all four approaches to deal with the rebels — ‘Sam, Bhed, Dhaan, Dhand.’ Uddhav Thackeray made an emotional appeal and also reasoned with the rebel MLAs. He even shifted back to his family home, ‘Matoshree,’ from the chief minister’s official residence. And he said he was willing to step down if the rebels could promise that only a Shiv Sainik would become the next CM of the state.
Contrarily, his son Aaditya Thackeray and party chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut called the rebellion a backstabbing act and issued veiled threats to the rebels. Some of Raut’s threats were brazen, and the Sena also unleashed its muscle power by attacking the offices of a few rebelling MLAs. However, fearing public perception Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray was forced to tone down its display of power. Also, Sanjay Raut was served with Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons.
Strategic Holiday at Assam
Meanwhile in Guwahati, the Eknath Shinde-led rebel group kept sharing photos and videos of supporting MLAs to cull rumors that some of them were in touch with Uddhav Thackeray. Despite the threats to the life of their kin and properties looming large back in Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde’s poise gave ideological credibility to his rebellion. He maintained that he and his MLAs are very much a part of the Shiv Sena. He did not show any temptation to merge with the BJP or any other party to accelerate his reach to the throne. However, Shinde’s call to Raj Thackeray created a buzz that the rebels might seek a merger with the latter’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
BJP at the forefront
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which was playing a ‘behind the scene’ role from the beginning, came to the forefront when it approached Governor Koshyari. Uddhav-led Sena, with advice from NCP leader Sharad Pawar, quickly moved the Supreme Court to stay the Governor’s floor test order. However, the Supreme court refused to halt the floor test, making the path clearer for Eknath Shinde and his fellow MLAs. Uddhav Thackeray resigned to avoid a defeat in the assembly.
From a political perspective, what Eknath Shinde has done is a feat by itself. He has done an improbable task of gathering support from within a political party, which does a hero-worship of its leaders. Indeed, he has gone one level further from where his mentor Anand Dighe stopped. However, heir apparent Aaditya Thackrey, in an interview with NDTV, said, “To have three parties with different perspectives working together for governance, that is democracy.”
Democracy is no family business
In fact, Aditya Thackeray should get his lessons on democracy before speaking about it. His father was the chief minister. Hence he could become a cabinet minister of the Maharashtra government at 32. He should ask himself, Is this how democracies work? And where was democracy within the Shiv Sena? If after Bal Thackeray, any worker who toiled for the party was made its chief and then subsequently its chief minister candidate, then he can talk about democracy. Parties passing their crown from father to son, and son to grandson, do not qualify to speak about democracy.
Now, is BJP alone solely responsible for the leadership change in Maharashtra? We can say that BJP certainly has mastered the art of reengineering the loyalties of disgruntled workers in opposition parties. The party, with its prospects bright, is in an expansionist mode, and what we see in Maharashtra is a result of it. But Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, is equally responsible for this. To become a chief minister, he chose to break the three-decade-long alliance with the BJP and allied with rivals NCP and Congress to form the MVA government.
So party workers rebelling against loyalty to families is good for democracy. What happened in Maharasthra should arise in all Indian states — not BJP maneuvering opposition dissent, but family-run parties facing a mutiny.
Wherever it is, ‘the father-son-grandson business’ within political parties and ruling coalitions must be challenged. Hereditary leaders within them should be reduced to modest party workers toeing the party line. Placing them in altars and worshipping them should stop.
Maharashtra’s new political equation
Now by offering the chief minister’s post to Eknath Shinde, BJP has stuck hard on Uddhav Thackeray and his band of loyalists. They will now have to fall in line with the new party and state leadership or break away to become a faction. Until Eknath Shinde is in rule, the revival of the Thackerays is going to be tough. And ‘Matoshree’ will no longer be a PowerCenter, at least for a while into the visible future.
Image: PTI