At golden jubilee celebration, Shiv Sena takes a dig at BJP

The Shiv Sena on Sunday celebrated its 50 years of political journey that started in 1966 when young political cartoonist Balasaheb Thackeray launched the party for espousing the case and cause of ‘sons of the soil.’

The party organised a grand event at NSE ground in Goregaon East with other 25,000 office bearers in attendance. The event is also seen seen as sounding of poll bugle for the crucial BMC elections. The party chief Uddhav Thackeray also addressed the gathering.

Stressing that the Shiv Sena “never hankered for power” but would insist on dignity in any alliance, he asked his party workers to be vigilant and “remain prepared to go alone” in the upcoming major civic elections if required in future.

“We fought the 2014 assembly elections separately and later even sat in the Opposition. After a month, we decided to join the government in the interests of Hindutva and the people of the state,” Thackeray said, addressing a huge gathering at the NSE Grounds, Goregaon, to celebrate the golden jubilee year of the party founded by his father, the late Bal Thackeray, on 19 June, 1966.

He said the party wanted a “clear alliance, with dignity and self-respect”, or else it was meaningless to continue the partnership with BJP.

“I can’t say what will happen to the alliance. We must be prepared to fight the (2017) BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) elections independently,” he said.

He declared that the Sena was not interested in snapping ties with BJP, “but we will not run after you like destitutes.”

“I will decide about the alliance when the time comes. But, next February-March, are you prepared to fight the civic elections,” he asked the crowd, which roared its approval.

Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena president said the BJP claims the country is changing all around, “but the situation remains the same.”

“There is no change. Inflation has skyrocketed, nobody knows how much higher it will go. Though they are in power at the centre, they have not sent the displaced Kashmiri Pandits back home (Jammu & Kashmir). These Pandits came to us for help,” he said.

He added that the BJP “can’t even prevent Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, the state which gave them the maximum number of MPs.”

“When Mumbai was burning, Shiv Sena ran to the rescue of the city’s Hindus. Where were the people who like to call themselves lions?” asked Thackeray referring to the BJP.

Taking a dig at the BJP, Thackeray thanked the people of West Bengal for defeating the power bearers in Delhi. Mamata banerjee said the same thing that Balasaheb remarked years ago, ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’ (Mother, Soil, Human), he added.

However, he said he only spoke the truth, but was accused of being critical of the BJP.

Citing India’s relations with Pakistan and China and added, “Balasaheb did not teach us to keep quiet. We are committed to the people, not the government.”

Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday greeted Uddhav Thackeray on Shiv Sena’s 50th anniversary, and declared that he “greatly missed” party founder late Balasaheb Thackeray’s guidance.

शिवसेना स्थापनेला ५० वर्ष पूर्ण होत आहेत. पक्षप्रमुख श्री उद्धवजी ठाकरे आणि सर्व शिवसैनिकांना मनापासून शुभेच्छा!@uddhavthackeray

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 19, 2016

शिवसेनाप्रमुख माननीय बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांनी केलेले मार्गदर्शन हे नेहमीच मोलाचे ठरले आहे. आज त्यांची आठवण प्रकर्षाने होते आहे.@AUThackeray

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 19, 2016

Taking a dig at the BJP over its alliance with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, the Shiv Sena chief said, “We do not enter into an alliance of helplessness, and don’t enter into dubious tie-ups.”

The 25-year-old alliance between both the parties is on shaky grounds with the Shiv Sena chief slamming the BJP government on its policies and decisions. The fact that the Sena had not invited their ally to the event could be signal that the party wants to contest the BMC elections independently in 2017.

The party was voted to office first in 1995 in alliance with the BJP and in 2014 piggybacking on the BJP, besides a nominal share in power at the Centre under both NDA regimes headed by then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Perhaps out of sheer habit, while in government, it continues to run riot as ’the embedded opposition’, occasionally even embarrassing the official Opposition parties.

Gone are the days when ‘Tiger’ Thackeray’s personality, his fiery speeches and bold writings through Marmik, Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana managed to hold the party together and terrorised all Opposition, within and outside.

After nephew Raj Thackeray walked out and formed a new party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the party saw the exit of loyalists like Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane and Sanjay Nirupam.

Among the current crop, many potentially strong leaders like Manohar Joshi are sidelined, or retired, some others have been softened with ministerial posts and many more are simply ignored.

The Sena continues to lack a strong party organisation, a support base mostly restricted to some urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Aurangabad and Nashik. It is still struggling in other parts of the state and obsessed with local level politics to capture civic bodies.

The party is now looking up to current chief Uddhav Thackeray, who in turn keeps glancing at son Aditya, as the party totters on behind them.

With inputs from IANS