The spectacular show by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Lok Sabha elections has obviously unnerved the Shiv Sena, forcing it to go back to its once-trademark aggressive, violent politics. Having all but lost the sons-of-the-soil plank to MNS, it does not want to lose more ground to the Raj Thackeray-led party, which has been carved out of the Sena.
Under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena seemed to have taken a new “peace-loving” avatar, with no returns whatsoever. So, it is back to its unique-selling proposition (USP) of “fighting” for a cause, in its traditional style.
Mumbai, both political observers and police circles believe strongly, should brace itself for a season of violent politics, with MNS too expected to up the ante after tasting success with the “tod-phod” agitations.
The fiery agitation of the Sena against Reliance Energy at Vakola on Monday is a clear indication that the party is reworking its style of functioning.
An observer said that the fact that Sena has established itself as a political party has cost it heavily in recent years. “Earlier, Sena leaders used to take out morcha or hold protests against the establishment,” he said. “Now that they have established themselves as a political force, they just have to make phone calls to get any work done. They are still working for the people, but due to their changed style of functioning, they ended up losing contact with the people.”
But, the MNS, which started fighting for the common man’s cause in the old Sena style, soon found a place for itself in the people’s mind. “This was reflected in the Lok Sabha elections. Though the MNS was defeated, its candidates got more than a lakh votes. This was a wake-up call for Sena,” he said.
Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray has admitted that the party had failed to gain the urban voters’ confidence. “We will mix with the people and understand their feelings and work accordingly,” he had said after the elections.
Sena MLC Anil Parab, who led the protest against Reliance Energy, said, “We will fight for the commoners. We will do it in our style and try to bring justice for them.”
