The Maha thriller: Corroborating facets and ramifications

Monoj Hazarika

Drama, melodrama, deceit, dissent, action and violence, the Maharashtra political thriller has it all. The rebellion by more than two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs has unnerved the Maha Vikas Agadi coalition, more important, it has totally unsettled the Thackeray clan. The fight between the leaders of the two fractions - rebel leader Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray - has escalated to an unprecedented level. Amidst the turbulence, let us delve into few corroborating facets and its ramifications.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty: Since their formation in 1966, Shiv Sena always opposed the Congress and the NCP and fought tooth and nail. So, the alliance stitched out of vengeance couldn't sustain the growing discontent among many Shiv Sena leaders. The rebel camp has aired its disgruntlement to their Chief Minister on several occasions, but they were allegedly snubbed. They complained that the CM ignored their concerns, at the same time more accommodating their allies' demands. Allegations of allocating more funds to ministers of their allies and depriving the Sena ministers were brewing anger. Moreover, NCP chief Sharad Pawar calling all the shots left the Sena leaders looking inferior. Uddhav's stoic silence and indifferent attitude towards the alleged act of extortion, money laundering by NCP leaders and vehement corruption by their alliance partners made the Sena ministers feel suffocated and entwined in autocracy. Therefore, this feeling of tyranny is one of the prime reasons for this rebellion. The modern cognitive era is all about broader inclusiveness, not restricted to a select coterie, and also not taking party workers for granted. This type of tyranny might have ruinous ramifications.

Dynastic entitlement: Leadership inherited by family lineage without proving one's capability is bound to falter at some given time! Uddhav and Aaditya's case is no different. Uddhav is generally perceived to be a good and humble man, but absolutely no match to the charisma of his father Late Balasaheb Thackeray. However, the sense of entitlement prevailed, making him believe that all Shiv Sainiks will swear by him, irrespective of his dreary conduct, including inaccessibility to his own MLAs. This also made him sightless and senseless of the brewing discontent within his own camp. Inducting his son, a first-time MLA, into the ministry is a clear case of nepotism. Aaditya's unnecessary intervention in other departments didn't go down well with senior leaders. His harsh tone of rebuke and acidic barbs for the rebel MLAs is testimony to the imbibed, superfluous sense of entitlement. This egoistic brashness is another reason for this revolt. All other regional dynastic parties might be intensely watching this mutiny as this might be a wake-up call for them.

Opportunity over Ideology: While the Sena simmers in unrest, the other MVA partners are not making much noise. Sharad Pawar is intelligent enough to gauge the ramifications of this unrest, but still advising the beleaguered Uddhav to try and salvage the situation, so that MVA continues to exist. NCP and Congress have pledged their solidarity for Uddhav. Moreover, with a windfall of portfolios for their ministers, they prefer to stay calm. They were voted to be in the Opposition in the last Assembly elections, but destiny helped them to cobble up this opportunistic coalition with contrasting ideologies. Uddhav's stoic silence on the alleged misdeeds of few NCP ministers speak about his infirmity as a Chief Minister. The extraordinary obeisance towards the Congress and NCP leadership made him look subservient at times. Rebels are terming this alliance as 'unnatural' not because it is a post-poll alliance, but for its tangential approach towards Hindutva, which is supposedly the core ideology of the Shiv Sena. Uddhav's apathetic attitude towards sensitive cases like the Palghar lynching and the Hanuman Chalisa row was silently panned by many Sena workers as compromise of their ideology. These made the 'unnatural' alliance 'unholy'as well. Compromise on Hindutva was unacceptable to many, thus the surrendering ministers speak about their resolve on ideological compulsions. Short-sighted opportunism didn't sustain over ideological prominence.

The BJP hegemony: BJP continued to display its hegemony by destabilizing incumbent governments by allegedly facilitating defections and breaking parties whenever their numbers are fluid. Defection episodes of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are well known. Opposition parties constantly fear this threat, but are still unable to keep their flock together. Many believed that this 'unnatural' MVA coalition will not even last for a year, but it somehow stood intact for two-and-a-half years until the recent crisis destroyed it.

The above facets indicate a terrible shift in the political scenario of the country. It is becoming very uncertain, dubious, immoral and unethical. Dissent, revolt and protests have become frequent, exposing the many shades of grey of the ambiguous political system. Continuous political slug-fest is diverting attention from real issues. Violence and riots over trivial issues are polluting the overall ambience. The consequences of the malice among the parties are not only making the entire political ecosystem bitter and nauseating, but also making a mockery of the electorate.

A cocktail of dissent, revolt and deceit, this horrible thriller is grabbing headlines 24X7. Action started when a bunch of MLAs left Mumbai for Surat and subsequently travelled to flood-ravaged Guwahati. Emotions followed, when the CM tried to placate the rebels with soft appeal, then resorting to melodrama by vacating his official residence. This melodrama had some affect on a few Shiv Sainiks who hit the streets as a gesture of solidarity. But, as days passed, the tone and tenor changed to threat. Violence sparked off when the offices of a few rebel MLAs were vandalized. The Thackeray clan made a desperate last attempt to save their party and keep it within the family. If this pot boiler had been released in theatres, it would have definitely shattered many records of week-one collections!

Although the matter has reached a climax of sorts, its ramifications will be far-reaching, both in perspective of future ideological adherence as well as vulnerability of the regional political dynasties. In the time to come, it will be interesting to see with what note the curtain rolls down on: - 'The End' or 'The Beginning'!