This isn’t the first time the Shiv Sena is seeing a dissent within the ranks. In the past, big names such as Raj Thackeray, Narayan Rane and Chhagan Bhujbal caused ripples when they left the party
Eknath Shinde’s rebellion has put the Shiv Sena on the backfoot. Image Courtesy: @mieknathshinde/Twitter
The Shiv Sena is facing its biggest test since it came to power in the state of Maharashtra in 2019 with unlikely allies — the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress — courtesy, it’s one-time loyalist, Eknath Shinde.
Shinde, who is a Cabinet minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, is currently in Guwahati in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Assam, claiming he has support of 46 MLAs — 40 from his party and six Independents.
Also read: From loyalist to rebel: The reasons for Eknath Shinde’s revolt against Shiv Sena
He denies that he has any plan to switch parties and will carry forward the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray.
“We have not left Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and will not leave it. We believe in Hindutva,” he said.
Reacting to the developments, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that Eknath Shinde’s rebellion is Shiv Sena’s internal matter. “This is an internal issue of Shiv Sena, whatever they decide we’re with them. I am sure Uddhav Thackeray will handle the situation,” Pawar had told reporters on Tuesday.
While this is a big jolt to the Shiv Sena, it’s not the first time that the party has faced internal struggles. Here’s a look at the many rebellions and how the party has fared in the face of such crises.
Chhagan Bhujbal
The current Cabinet minister of Food and Civil Supply, Consumer Affairs in the Maharashtra government, Chhagan Bhujbal can be considered the original rebel of the Shiv Sena.
In 1991, Bhujbal, who was once considered the blue-eyed boy of Bal Thackeray, delivered a jolt when he claimed support of 17 out of 52 party legislators to form Shiv Sena (B). Bhujbal, a tall OBC leader, had fallen out with Thackeray over the appointment of Manohar Joshi as the Opposition leader in the Maharashtra Assembly.
He then joined the Congress. Later, after Sharad Pawar decided to split from the Congress and form his own party, the Nationalist Congress Party, Bhujbal went along with him.
Bhujbal has acquired many top positions in the state government, but what gained him the most notoriety was for being the man who got Bal Thackeray arrested in relation to a case against the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana regarding the 1992-93 riots. While it was just a technical arrest and Thackeray was soon set free, Bhujbal had done what no one had dared to do.
A new ‘Raj’ emerges
When Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray announced his resignation as a primary member of the Shiv Sena in 2005, there was no bigger shock.
In the 1990s, Raj was considered by many to be the heir of his uncle. However, Bal Thackeray showed a strong preference for his own son, Uddhav.
When he quit the party, Raj Thackeray had blamed the “lack of democracy within the Shiv Sena” for his reason to quit.
“I wouldn’t wish a day such as today even on my worst enemy,” he had told the media during his resignation, adding, “All I had asked for was respect (from Matoshree, the Bandra residence of Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his son, Uddhav). All I got was insult and humiliation.”
After he stepped away from the Shiv Sena, in 2006, Raj Thackeray founded the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party, which he claimed would translate into reality the ‘dreams’ of Bal Thackeray “and also my dreams” — of a modern, progressive and stable Maharashtra.
He tasted political success in the Maharashtra Assembly election of 2009 when it won 13 seats in the 288-member Assembly. However, since then, the party has been on a downward spiral as it managed to win only one seat in 2019 Assembly elections.
Perhaps, the biggest blow to the Shiv Sena came when Raj Thackeray, the nephew of Bal Thackeray, chose to leave the party in 2005. PTI
The Narayan Rane feud
The 2005 exit of Narayan Rane, who became the Shiv Sena’s first chief minister — albeit for eight months — in 1999, was another big blow to the party.
Rane was expelled after he challenged Uddhav’s leadership when the latter was named the party’s executive president in 2003. He was accused of ‘anti-party activities’ after he alleged that tickets and posts in Shiv Sena were sold to candidates.
“Rane and Uddhav Thackeray always had a sour relationship. Within the Shiv Sena, Rane could never accept Uddhav’s leadership and it ultimately led him to leave the party. Since then, Rane and his sons have often made personal remarks criticising Uddhav Thackeray and his family,” former journalist and political commentator Hemant Desai told The Print.
Rane joined the Congress in August 2005 and quit it in September 2017. After quitting the Congress, Rane launched the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha in October 2017.
In 2018, he declared support for BJP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha on that party’s nomination. In October 2019, he merged his party with the BJP.
A rebellion too short to remember
In 2013, long-time Shiv Sena leader raised eyebrows when he publicly criticised Uddhav, saying the new Shiv Sena chief was incompetent and a shadow of his late father. However, just 12 hours later, he was seen at Matoshree, seeking Uddhav’s forgiveness, blaming an upsurge of emotions for his tirade.
With inputs from agencies
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