Meat Ban: Four ways in which Shiv Sena has changed its politics over the years

Shiv Sena, the right-wing coalition partner of the BJP in the Maharashtra government, has once again defied coalition politics. It has taken a stand against the ban on meat in Mumbai for four days during the Jain festival of Paryushan. 

On Thursday, Sena unveiled its plan to oppose the meat ban in Mumbai, by selling meat on the streets of Dadar.

Over the last 10 years or so, the Shiv Sena has transformed itself in some respects, diluting many of its erstwhile hardline positions. Here's a look at four ways in which the Sena has changed.

1) Shaky alliance with BJP: The Shiv Sena's 25 year-old alliance with the BJP faced uncertainty for the first time in 2014 as the two parties could not agree on seat-sharing for the Maharashtra legislative assembly elections. The BJP wanted to contest a majority of the 288 seats based on its stupendous performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But the Shiv Sena invoked previous arrangements and also claimed it had a far stronger base in Maharashtra than the BJP - and therefore it wanted to contest more seats than the BJP. After several rounds of negotiations, the alliance broke apart and both contested elections separately. The Sena won 66 seats and the BJP 122 seats.

While the two parties once again formed an alliance in the aftermath of the elections in order to give stable government, the Sena has lost no opportunity to belittle the BJP ever since. The fight over the meat ban is the latest in a series of BJP-defying tactics by the Sena.

2) Opposition to Valentine's Day: It was in 1997 that the Shiv Sena first announced its opposition to Valentine's Day, calling it 'western culture' and resolved to stop the practice. Then-Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray said that people should not celebrate Valentine's Day if they did not wish to encounter violence.

After a few years of moral policing in Mumbai, including an incident where goons attacked a Valentine's Day party inside a restaurant, the party toned down its methods. Over the past few years, the party has not been accused of much violence on February 14. In principle it continues to oppose Valentine's Day, but lets the festivities continue.

3) Hate speech against minorities: The Shiv Sena was often accused of hate speech against minorities, especially Muslims in the past. Though these claims remain contentious, Balasaheb Thackeray did deliver some belligerent speeches following the 1993 Mumbai blasts and before the 1995 state elections.

In 2002, Bal Thackeray allegedly labelled Muslims a 'cancer' and called for 'Hindu terrorism' in the form of suicide bombers to counter Islamic terrorism. 

However, in the subsequent years, anti-Muslim rhetoric from the Shiv Sena has become rarer. In April, when Sanjay Raut called for Muslims to be defranchised, there was an outcry and Raut had to 'tone down' his comments.

4) Nightlife: The Shiv Sena was once strongly opposed to 'western culture' in Mumbai, calling for bans on malls, pubs and the like. However, last year, Aditya Thackeray, the grandson of Balasaheb Thackeray, came out in support of 24-hour nightlife in the city. While the change in stance may have been motivated by political or economic considerations, it was a dramatic U-turn that would have been unimaginable a few years ago.

The Sena continues to make small noises on 'Page 3 culture' from time to time, but it is clear that its politics has shifted on the issue.

While the Sena has changed its views on several issues, it continues to spew belligerent rhetoric from time to time. Its aggressive position on Pakistan has not changed and it still opposes Pakistani artistes performing in India, or the Pakistan cricket team touring India. It continues to call for birth control among Muslims and advance the Hindutva agenda.

Nevertheless, there has been a discernable change in the Shiv Sena's tone and political focus as its younger generation has taken over the reins of the party. It might be the influence of Aditya Thackeray or simply the realisation that the polity (and its voter base) has evolved over the years. Eventually, the change bodes well for Mumbaikars.