Hyderabad: “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” is an age old adage.
Political turmoil in Maharashtra State, the country’s financial hub, leading to near collapse of Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadhi Government, is an eye opener and fits the adage.
In the latest episode, Eknath Shinde, Minister for Urban Development and Public Works, the four time MLA from Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of Thane in Maharashtra, has raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and claims support of 40 Sena MLAs and 10 others. This is the third such trouble in Maha government.
His main grouse is Uddhav Thackeray had watered down Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Hindutva and Maratha pride ideology, ignored Shiv Sena MLAs, gave audience priority to NCP and Congress MLAs besides funds. CM denied the allegations.
Though this could be partly true, CBI, Enforcement Directorate cases against some could also be one of the reason for the chorus—“we should have alliance with BJP.”
Maha Vikas Aghadhi (MVA) government comprising Shiv Sena, Indian National Congress (INC) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s marriage of convenience to form the Government now lay in tatters.
Pent up anger against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray seems to be brewing for a long time going by the allegations levelled by rebels.
More shocking is the flight of 40-odd MLAs right under the nose of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray–first to Surat by road in BJP ruled Gujarat and Guwahati in Assam which indicate total collapse of intelligence network or deliberate suppression of information to CM. Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil belongs to NCP!
Maha turmoil could spill to other states where regional parties, coalition governments and family rule are in vogue. Though BJP, the original Sena partner, is accused of engineering the split, the later denies any role.
Firstly, a coalition government is always shaky since any partner could pull the rug under the feet anytime. More so if they are ideologically different, one trying to rough shod the other, differences in family, power etc.
Shiv Sena, which fought 2019 elections in alliance with BJP dumped the latter for Chief Minister post and stitched quick alliance with Sharad Pawar led NCP and Congress.
It’s not just in Shiv Sena. Such rebellion was seen in the past in M G Ramachandran’s AIADMK. After his death in 1987, factions led by his wife Ms Janaki Ramachandran and his ‘friend’ Ms J Jayalalithaa had a bitter fight for legacy in which Jayalalithaa won.
In undivided Andhra Pradesh N T Rama Rao was overthrown by his son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu in 1995 in the family power struggle fearing NTR may hand over power to his second wife Lakshmi Parvathi. Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, RJD and other regional parties too faced similar problems.
Though family rule continues in the Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, but many senior leaders quit the party over differences.
In Telangana, ruling TRS led by K Chandrasekhar Rao holds sway over the people, but here too son, Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, daughter K Kavitha and a close coterie calls the shots.
Like in Maharashtra case, access to KCR is quite difficult and many TRS leaders have a grouse. Former Finance Minister Etala Rajender, once a close aide of KCR, quit TRS and joined BJP after he was side-lined. He called KCR “Chakravarthi” (King) who refused audience to him and many party leaders. He was trapped in land grabbing cases, but won Huzurabad.
Though KCR continues to have stranglehold over the party and government, the Maharashtra like crisis could spread to other parties sooner or later in the country.
However, in Maharashtra case, the present fight is not among family, but between Chief Minister and senior Shiv Sainiks wedded to party patriarch Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva ideology and other issues
In the past, Raj Thackeray, nephew of Bal Thackeray quit Shiv Sena over legacy and launched Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). He couldn’t muster much support and won only one assembly seat. But like Uncle Bal Thackeray, he is vocal and articulate speaker, the quality lacked in Uddhav Thackeray.
An open letter written by rebel Aurangabad Shiv Sena rebel MLA Sanjay Shirsat sums up the rift.
“Thackeray did not give audience and was always flanked by coterie that cut off access to him.
Thackeray stopped Sena MLAs from accompanying Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray to Ayodhya after checking at the Airport. It was Sena MLAs who persuaded Shinde to revolt unable to bear the insults and degradation over a period of time,” he alleged.
The letter further said, “For the last 2.5 years, the doors of your bungalow Varsha (CM’s official residence in Mumbai) were closed to Shiv Sena MLAs. We had to appeal to your coterie many times. Finally, we used to get message saying we were called to Varsha. But we were made to wait at the gate for several hours. We used to get fed up and leave.”
He charged that MLAs representing 3-4 lakh voters were systematically insulted and they could not meet Thackeray at Mantralaya since he never went there.
Praising Shinde, he said, “His doors were always open to us. It was Shinde who helped resolve our problems. Party MLAs persuaded Shinde to take this step for the rights of all the legislators.”
While Shiv Sena had no access to CM, MLAs from NCP and Congress could meet CM and get their work done. Funds also went to them, he alleged.
The letter summed up, “Today we are with Shinde with the belief his home, which has always been open to us in difficult circumstances, will remain so. Yesterday, whatever you (Uddhav Thackeray) said made us emotional. But I did not get answers to basic questions.”
A split in Shiv Sena, which once ruled Mumbai and Maharashtra with iron hand, looks imminent. It’s not just MLAs which matter, but also party.
Uddhav Thackeray could lose MLAs, but can he retain the party floated by his father Bal Thackeray, is a million dollar question.
In the 288 member Maharashtra Assembly, BJP has 106, Shiv Sena 56, NCP 53, Congress 44 and 29 others.
Gowri Shankar is a seasoned political analyst who worked with Deccan Chronicle for several decades
