Shiv Sena started to spread its wing in the late 1980s. At that time, Raj was heading the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), student wing of the party. He was also looking after Marmik, the weekly mouthpiece of party, chiefly drawing cover cartoons for the same. His grooming was done clearly by Balasaheb himself which was evident by the fashion in which he talked, spoke. His body language and mannerisms were just a replica of the original leader. Millions of party workers saw in him the next avatar of their beloved leader.
But the original leader thought in different ways. After the party shared power with BJP in 1995 to 99, he started promoting his own son Uddhav, who preferred his artistic hobbies over politics. A man of reclusive habits, he was seldom found in gatherings which was a hallmark of SS. This anchored a split in the party with Raj having no other option but to found his own. He waited for almost 10 years before giving birth to MNS.
That Raj opting for Son-of-the-Soil politics was less a choice than a logical conclusion. After following the same line for almost 20 years, he could have done little otherwise. A U-Turn over the policies was out of question. He bid his time before plunging into full stream. Also, by opting to pursue a hard agenda over the Marathi Manoos issue, he also took the game in the Shiv Sena’s court itself. This is the reason why Uddhav is targeting Raj more during the campaigning instead of ruling alliance in the state, which is his natural political enemy. He is well aware that in terms of oratory, pull and dedicated workers, he is no match to Raj. While Uddhav has given a new, sophisticated and mellowed image to SS, a vacuum was left for a party with stern activism. SS workers were fed on this mentality and they could not shed their aggression in trade of a corporate politics, which was never their cup of tea. SS was no longer a party of rioters and hoodlums. Raj capitalized on these elements.
To be fair to Raj, he did not chose violence as his primary recourse. Before the infamous agitation in early 2008 against North Indians, MNS had organized several programs encouraging Marathi literature and culture. Many instances can be given like organizing a book exhibition in Mumbai, drama festival in Pune. When MNS was in incubation mode, he personally visited all Ganesh Mandals all over the state. MNS had even sent letters to many government departments as a form of protest. Very few of those activities actually were reported by the media. Raj entered on first pages of print media and prime time of electronic media only when he raised his voice against Abu Azmi, whose credentials as a cultured politician is always in question. Before that period, even local periodicals thought it unnecessary to give enough space to the man. Whatever came related to Raj was either making a mockery of his activities or criticism.
By the time that agitation had come to an end, media had carved out a new Hitler and general Marathi public had got a redeemer. Polarization followed day by day, MNS was persecuted with each passing day. No stone was left unturned in demonizing the man and with each attempt, MNS and its leader become dearer to the public.
It came to such a passé that no Marathi channel could afford to bypass a rally addressed by Raj. No channel could throw a press release of MNS in the dustbin. There was a race between them to telecast the developments live to garner more and more TRP. OB vans from all channels waited outside Krishnakunj, Raj’s residence in Dadar area whenever there was a significant developments. Press conferences by Raj began to turn out into a houseful shows. Even then, he was seen someone who filled the need of a superstar in a entertainment deficient state. “yes, t’here is a crowd for him. But can he fight an election,” was a popular refrain from media quarters who in this age think it a kind of status symbol to keep their ears away from the ground.
The jolt came in parliamentary elections five months ago. MNS had put 12 candidates out of 48 in the state. Each candidate of the party, barring one in Pune, pulled up more than one lakh (0.1 million) votes. This was an eye opener for every player. In an era when the winning margin of a candidate does not generally crosses 25,000, the number of votes received by MNS was nothing less than a thunderbolt. It upset the ambitions of SS-BJP alliance in the state whose tally of seats remained just 21. These statistics are the basic foundation on which the duel between Thackerey cousin is going on currently in the state.
(To be Continued)
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