Poonch Se Tiger: Hindu Editorial on Revolt in Shiv Sena

With most of the party’s MLAs attending Revolt led by Eknath ShindeShiv Sena seems to be getting out of control of its chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling tripartite alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), seems to be unraveling, and it is unclear what will replace it. The Congress and the NCP have promised to continue their support to Mr. Thackeray, who in return Expressed willingness to step down in favor of another party leader, The Congress has even offered to extend outside support to the government if it should help the Shiv Sena organize its house. Mr. Shinde, until he became a rebel, was a prominent leader of the Shiv Sena, and presented his rebellion ideologically; According to him, the Shiv Sena has moved away from its Hindutva quagmire by allying with the NCP and the Congress. Mr Thackeray has responded by reiterating his firm commitment to Hindutva by making an emotional appeal to party MLAs to stay together. But little seems to have been done to calm tense nerves in the party, with more leaders flocking to the rebel tent. The MVA coalition was formed after months of political intrigue, including a dramatic swearing-in. A short-lived government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a section of the NCP Joe quickly returned to the party. After using its governments in Gujarat and Assam to foment rebellion, the BJP is waiting for an opportune time to take its next step.

The Shiv Sena severed its ties with long-term ally BJP, ignoring its ideological ties to Hindutva, to regain its dwindling primacy in state politics. Despite the ideological mismatch between the allies, the MVA partners were compelled to remain united – until resentment snowballed within the Shiv Sena to challenge the authority of the Thackeray family. This crisis is long overdue, and the CM’s blind faith in the loyalty of his warriors has been lost. To be honest, these MLAs were complaining lack of access to chief minister and his son and minister Aaditya Thackeray. Junior Thackeray’s efforts to adapt the party to upper-class sensibilities upset the rustic, often turbulent party base, which was kept on a constant boil by his grandfather and party founder Bal Thackeray. Mr. Shinde is one of the very few mass leaders in Shiv Sena after Thackeray. They are considered accessible, and they dominate the neighboring two districts of Mumbai, about six municipal corporations and an equal number of smaller local bodies. He felt sidelined in the new scheme of things, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Shiv Sena is at a crossroads and may even go to the end.