It was a Marathi card of late Bal Thackeray, which once topped the Shiv Sena in India’s financial capital Mumbai. Now, with the election defeat behind him, Raj Thackeray, the fiery nephew of the Shiv Sena founder, is trying to extract a leaf from his uncle’s book. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chiefs are trying to re -establish relevance before the upcoming municipal elections in Mumbai and other urban centers, reviving the ‘Marathi Mano’ plank through the Marathi card.
A few days ago, a militant Thackeray warned the controversy by warning that his party would not hesitate to “slap” those who refuse to speak Marathi in the state. Their purpose is clear: Traditionally encroaching at the ‘son of clay’ organized by Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray -led groups are still moving away from their assembly election shock, while the army led by Eknath Shinde is struggling to make itself vigorous amidst the increasing dominance of Bharat Janata Party’s (BJP) (BJP).
A fight now
At the same time, Raj Thackeray is indicating a desire to align with the BJP, which has consolidated his position in Maharashtra a decade after emerging as the largest party in the state. For Raj, municipal elections represent an opportunity to revive their political fate. His party failed to win a single assembly seat, and even his son Amit lost in his family’s stronghold. Although known for his uncle is known for his uncle and style, Raj Thackeray himself has never elected. His current campaign reminds not only for voters, but for the BJP that it is still dominated in Mumbai.
For BJP, this election is a chance to further marginalize Udhav’s party to prevent Shinde from gaining too much land. Political management is required to balance these interests. Interestingly, Shinde’s army has not made the ‘Marathi Mani’ cause as champion, and is often seen as BJP’s ‘B Team’. Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), often called ‘C team’, prioritize power under the guise of development, ignores large -scale regional identity issues.
The language issue has re -achieved emotional traction in a Mumbai which is rapidly cosmopolitan, but still a home to an important Marathi -speaking population. No political party in Maharashtra can take the risk of ignoring the Marathi language debate – it can either shake passion or be used to discredit oppions. The Shiv Sena once led vigorous campaigns, even tore the non-Marathi signboard. Those were the days when Bal Thackeray ruled Mumbai with an iron grip. He famously claimed that he could close the city with only two phone calls – PTI and Uni. He openly spied the “wholesale”, ie, ruled by force, supported him with his followers with action – including to include a cricket pitch ahead of a match with Pakistan.
Can uncle save nephews?
While Raj Thackeray did not divide the army like Shinde, he is now trying to kidnap Bal Thackeray’s legacy through Marathi Takht. This comes when Udhav’s party faces defects in the traditional strongholds in Mumbai and Konkan region.
Thackeray and BJP may have a shared goal of limiting Shinde’s influence, but it is easy. Thackeray’s biggest challenge has been his incompatibility. He has often been accused of abandoning the reasons for the midway, which hurts his credibility.
Has Thakere changed after his latest election shock. He remains a powerful Marathi orator, who reminds Bal Thackeray at his peak. His success in reviving his political magic will be determined how far the Marathi card takes him. Yesterday, Thackeray issued a strict warning to the Indian Banks Association, requesting immediate compliance with RBI instructions to include Marathi in banking services. Failure to do so, he warned, with banks taking responsibility for any resulting law-and-order disruption, will be the cause of intensive protests.
Marathi card is not going anywhere
One thing is certain: Marathi will be forced to pay at least lip service to neutralize Thakere’s appeal to other parties. Last month, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had to include a backlash after a wandering remarks in Mumbai by a Rastri Swayamswik Sangh (RSS), who criticizes the margins of Marathi. In response, Fadnavis confirmed in the Assembly that it was not wrong to demand the use of Marathi in Maharashtra, and it is the official language of the state and all residents should learn and respect it. “However, if someone takes the law into his own hands, the law will take its curriculum,” he said. On the other hand, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed strong rejection of efforts to overcome the dispute over the Marathi language issue in Maharashtra, stating that such cases are usually short -lived and do not remain in public discourse for a long time.
As of 2011, Marathi, Hindustani and Bengali, with over 83 million speakers, are the third most spoken original language in India. The lesson of the latest episode is that Marathi card cannot be done and will not be ignored, even if the politics around it becomes silent every time.
(Sunil Gatde is a former Associate Editor with PTI. Venkatesh Kesari was an assistant editor with the Asian Age.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
