Inheriting ancestral property does
not necessarily mean that the person takes its due care. There is always a
possibility that he misuses it and contributes for the decline of a legacy
created by his patriarch. This person acts like a parasite and eats into the
property, the accumulated wealth, the farms and once he exhausts every single
belonging, he survives on borrowings. Initially he might get a few lenders, but
soon, owing to his tendency, he runs out of any form of credit from the market
and then his survival comes at stake.
Such is the
state of both the princes, from the Congress and the Shiv Sena. Both were born
with a silver spoon in their mouths. The Congress at some point had ruled the
entire nation and the Shiv Sena had exercised complete control over the
financial capital of the country. But today both are left to mend for
themselves. Unfortunately, in order to gather crowds for their respective
events, both have to scratch each other’s back. The reason I make this
statement is because both Congress and the Penguin Sena have agreed to support
each other in terms of garnering public support for their respective events.
Congress’
prince has called for a ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra. Seeing the ‘enormous’ response the
yatra received in other parts of the country, the Congress activists want to
make sure that it is equally successful in Maharashtra as well. And hence they
have come up with a unique idea to gather crowds when the yatra reaches
Maharashtra. The idea – the Penguin Sena makes sure that people attend their
yatra in Maharashtra and in return the Congress will make sure that people
attend the former’s Dussehra rally in large numbers. This is nothing but a
‘barter exchange’ since both have come to terms that they are now left with
‘absolutely nothing’. Of course, both these princes are only responsible for
‘these fruits of their karma’.
Very few Shiv Sainiks, who had been with venerable Balasaheb Thackeray, have closely seen his dedication and the commitment with which he worked to bring the party to this level and to create a position in the minds of the people. Leaders like Chhaganrao Bhujbal have also witnessed the efforts taken by late Balasaheb for the growth of Shiv Sena. Today we sincerely hope Goddess Saraswati bestows Chhaganrao with some wisdom. Anyway.
The truth is
hundreds of Shiv Sainiks have shed their blood during the party’s formative
years. In those days, the Shiv Sainiks would get agitated with slightest of
injustice being meted out to the Marathi Manoos in this Mumbapuri. In order to
build the organisation, the party set up its ‘shakhas’ (party offices) at
different parts of the city. It was a rightful place for all those who had suffered
injustice or were affected by the system and wanted justice. The ‘shakha
pramukh’ was the head of the respective area. Veteran leaders like Vamanrao
Mahadik, Dattaji Nalavade, Pramod Navalkar, Sudhir Joshi, Dattaji Salvi, Satish
Pradhan and others were such staunch activists of Balasaheb that they were
prepared to take up any challenges for their leader Balasaheb Thackeray.
Venerable Balasaheb’s residence was the rightful abode for the Shiv Sainiks.
The Shiv Sena became popular not just with its political agenda but also
because of Balasaheb and his wife Meenatai’s true love and affection towards
the Shiv Sainiks.
The Sena that was confined to
Mumbai and Thane gradually spread across the state. It became strong enough to
control the affairs of the state. And when Balasaheb’s legal heir took the
reign in his hands, he strangled the shakha pramukhs and also broke the chain
of the party’s shakhas that was being preserved for years together. He also
discontinued the practice of meeting his activists. He was responsible for
destroying a flourishing tree called the Shiv Sena with his own hands and thus
he met his fate. He broke the alliance that was based on Hindutva ideology with
the Bharatiya Janata Party. And for his thirst for power, he joined hands with
the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party who are staunch haters of
Hindutva. And the Shiv Sainiks witnessed how this resulted in the downfall of
the Shiv Sena. The zeal of the Shiv Sainiks during 1995 when the coalition
government under Shiv Sena’s chief minister was in power vis-à-vis their zeal
and enthusiasm during the last two-and-a-half years is very evident.
What can one
say about Congress’ prince? Such a ‘character’ is difficult to be found. He is
one such leader who, during his press conference, tore up an ordinance passed
by the Prime Minister of his own party. He is responsible for the downfall of
the Congress. Rajiv Gandhi’s political understanding was far less than that of
his mother. But no one could doubt Rajiv Gandhi’s ‘vision’. The prince, on the
contrary, is busy running his own entertainment programme and exhibiting his
ignorance about various matters. A leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad left the
Congress only out of sheer displeasure and discontent about this prince.
Prithviraj Chavan has been associated with the Congress since the time of his
father. The Chavan – Nehru – Gandhi families were closely connected. And when
this Prithviraj Chavan claims that Rahul Gandhi must not become the party
president, there surely must be some reason. He must be aware about the
capabilities of the Congress’ prince. And when this prince is out on a yatra,
definitely his activists will have to work hard to gather crowds. By extending
help to each other, both the Congress and the Sena might be able to gather their
desired crowd. Of course, since neither of them have the ability to think
beyond, both will not find anything wrong in it either. Such borrowings might
help them in the short run. But what next?
(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – 03 Oct.
2022)
Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson
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