The citizens of Maharashtra are witnessing a dazzling show of firecrackers full weeks ahead of Diwali. The show, which can beat a laser show in any case, is taking during Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation election where two branches of Thackerey family are letting no stone unturned in their verbal assault.
Balasaheb Thackerey, original doyen of Marathi politics, hit out at his now famous nephew, whom he himself has mentored over last four decades, set the ball rolling. The senior Thackerey, unambiguously referred as Tiger in Maharashtra, lashed out at Raj Thackerey, who is son of Balasaheb's younger brother Shrikant. Apparently, the senior tiger is unhappy that the cub he fostered over the years severed his ties and chose to led his own party. Not only did Raj took his own paths, he chose own destinations and ways to tread it.
Unfortunately enough, the ways of tiger and his foster cub crossed creating obvious conflict. The cub tiger did not want to serve one who, in former's eyes, is incapable of doing justice to the agenda of the party. Matters became worse for senior one when the cub inherited all mannerisms, roaring and all, from his mentor. Tiger's own son skipped those lessons during adolescence and claimed his place when the fostered cub was about to take to throne.
When people of Maharashtra took liking to roaring of Raj during two subsequent elections in state last year, it was but only an inference that Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will have to slug it out to became the alternative party to Congress and National Congress Party. The signs were visible much earlier but the reading on the wall became legible only after 13 candidates entered the legislative assembly of Maharashtra in October last year. This was the background when Bal Thackerey hit out at Raj saying that 'he copies me. The mannerisms and copying are not the only things. There must be thought, philosophy.'
Miffed by his uncle's attack, Raj did what he refrained from doing for last four years, when he finally parted ways with his previous party. Known for his incisive tongue, Raj had restrained from putting Balasaheb at the gunpoint. 'He is deity to me and my fight is not with him, but with the middlemen around him,' he had insisted saying this for all these years. But after the sharp criticism from his uncle at Dussehara rally in Mumbai, he could not hold himself more. He opened fire at the man who, as Raj himself proclaimed even during the volcano-type eruption, was and is most venerable for him.
'Why is he repeating the same things over and over again? It is a plain fact that I was suffocating in the party. I did not have any rights. Some people assumed authority because of which I left Shiv Sena,' he pleaded in his characteristic style in front of two lakh people who gathered to listen him. In the history of municipal elections in Maharashtra, any public rally with that much size is called huge. Two lakhs people coming to a meeting for municipal election was never heard before. Added to that, the cheering and clapping from the people must have raised the spirits of MNS candidates.
When Raj put aside his oath and targeted Balasaheb Thackerey, it was but given that the diatribe would be aptly replied. And it was so. Raj's cousin and Balasaheb's own son, Uddhav, came out in open to verbally assault the MNS leader referring to Mahabharata. It was after all Uddhav, who is blamed by Raj as well as Narayan Rane, for meddling in Shiv Sena and deliberately reducing the two to their size. Both Raj and Rane attribute their desertion from Shiv Sena to Uddhav's high handedness, keeping their regard for Balasaheb intact. This gives enough reasons to Uddhav, more known for his skills in photography, to have personal grudge against the former two.
Uddhav, even though lacking in the as hardihood as Raj, targeted him saying all the obvious things. He tried to create an emotional flutter in his audience, which is forte of Shiv Sena over last five decades, saying he would not tolerate anything said against his father. Here, one was tempted to point to an episode in Maharashtra polity when the government contemplated arresting Bal Thackerey about two years ago. In his unmistakable style, Raj''s jumped the bandwagon and threatened to 'raise a hellstorm' if anyone touched Shiv Sena chief. Uddhav, through the party's mouthpiece, Saamana, had hit out at him and had said Shiv Sena is capable of defending its chief.
The same leader is now resorting to same statements. These firecrackers are adding element to otherwise a minuscule and dull election for the election of Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation.
Ever since Prthviraj Chavan has taken over as the chief minister of Maharashtra, the politics of the state has become too stale and bereft of political drama. One reason behind this is that Chavan is not a shrewd and professional politician like his predeccecors Ashok Chavan and Vilasrao Deshmukh. He is more of a bureaucratic personality which pervades his political acumen. Much unlike his fraternity, he is not a public figure in the sense that he rarely is seen sorrounded by workers or common public. He has carefully placed himself away from the masses creating a halo around himself. Chavan has spent most of his tenure in centre and in that sense, he is yet to accommodate himself in the state's politicians.
