Fighting Spirit And Inclusivity To Inaccessibility And Disconnect: 10 Things I Like And Dislike About Uddhav Thackeray

File photo of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray addressing the party's Dussehra rally at Dadar, in Mumbai, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

Source : PTI

As a student of political science and as a journalist, I have been a keen observer of the Shiv Sena for the last three decades and have witnessed the highs and lows of the party. Uddhav Thackeray, the erstwhile CM of Maharashtra and a faction head of the party, is one of those faces around whom the Maharashtra politics revolves. Swami Vivekananda would say, as did Mahatma Gandhi, every man and his actions have elements of good and bad in them. Referring to this philosophy, I have a mixed view of Uddhav’s personality.

Uddhav’s Survival Instinct

I like Uddhav’s survival instinct. He took over as the executive president of the Shiv Sena in 2004 and soon had to face a rebellion by stalwarts like Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray. After the party’s poor performance in the 2009 Vidhan Sabha elections, questions were raised in the political corridors over the survival of the Shiv Sena. Raj Thackeray’s aggressive posture and his initial electoral success made everyone believe the MNS is the new Shiv Sena. However, Uddhav hit back at the doubters by winning the 2012 BMC elections, and later on forming a government with the BJP in 2014. While Uddhav sailed his party out of the storm, MNS was reduced to just one seat in the assembly and it lost the Nashik Municipal Corporation which it had captured earlier.

Uddhav Is Inaccessible

I dislike Uddhav’s inaccessibility. One reason why his father Balasaheb Thackeray could form such a powerful organisation was that he was accessible to his common Shiv Sainiks and office-bearers of the party across the state. He visited the party head office, the Shiv Sena Bhavan, frequently and met party workers at his bungalow also throughout the day. Uddhav lacked such a connect. He made a coterie of a few people who influenced his decision and manifested themselves as a wall between him and the party workers. It was because of such advisers that many stalwarts and founding members of the party felt sidelined and quit the party. A few senior party leaders complained it was difficult to get an audience with Uddhav. While leaving the party, they publicly derided Uddhav, but he continued to be nonchalant about such accusations, which proved him costly in 2022. One reason why rebel Eknath Shinde could take many MLAs, MPs, corporators and office-bearers with him was Uddhav’s inaccessibility. During his tenure as the CM, his health issues were cited as the reason for his inaccessibility. However, this trait of Uddhav’s personality has been for long. A few political commentators attribute his inaccessibility to his shy nature as well. However, after the rebellion, Uddhav started meeting his party workers frequently and visits Shiv Sena Bhavan as well.

Shiv Shena Policy Of Inclusivity

I like Uddhav Thackeray’s policy of inclusivity. After taking over the party’s mantle, Uddhav rarely spoke hatefully against any community on linguistic, religious or regional grounds. It was in stark contrast with the Shiv Sena’s history, a party which evolved by agitating against non-Marathis and Muslims. Uddhav was hardly seen using expletives against anybody in his speeches. In fact, in 2004, he launched the “Me Mumbaikar” campaign to connect all people with the Shiv Sena living in Mumbai, irrespective of their religion and native place. This campaign was sabotaged by Raj Thackeray, who was in the Shiv Sena when his supporters attacked north Indian candidates at the Kalyan railway station to appear for a railway recruitment exam. Uddhav Thackeray played a role in launching the Hindi edition of the party’s mouthpiece Saamana and sending many non-Marathis to the Rajya Sabha. Consequential to this inclusive attitude, Uddhav found it easy to accept the word “secular”, which was mentioned twice in the preamble of Maha Vikas Aghadi.  

An Irrational Tenacity For CM Chair

I disliked Uddhav’s irrational tenacity for the CM’s post for two and a half years. When the Shiv Sena and BJP allied for the first time in the 1990s, it was agreed that the party with more MLAs would get the CM’s chair. However, in 2019, Uddhav demanded the CM’s chair from the BJP despite winning just half the number of seats that the BJP had won. The BJP won 106 seats and the Shiv Sena got 56 seats. Uddhav claims that Amit Shah had promised him the CM’s chair for half the tenure when he visited Matoshree. The question is why such a deal was made inside the four walls of a room and why it was not revealed before the public during the election campaign. The public had voted for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and they should have been informed about such a power-sharing agreement if there was one at all.

Crisis Management By Uddhav Thackeray

I liked Uddhav’s crisis management skills. Barely three months after assuming the post of CM, Uddhav had to deal with his share of the enormous crisis that the world was facing. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which came with a lockdown, was the biggest challenge during his tenure. The situation went out of control initially, especially in Mumbai, when the daily death count skyrocketed and the city was being compared to Wuhan. Butthe tide turned soon. The measures adopted by his government showed results, and Maharashtra fared much better in fighting the pandemic in comparison with other states. During the second phase of the pandemic, the “Mumbai Model” became a subject of study for experts from other states. It was ensured that there would not be any death due to lack of oxygen. No fudging of death figures was reported, unlike a few other states where such allegations  have allegedly done. Uddhav’s occasional televised speeches were full of hope and empathy. He often switched to Hindi from his Marathi speech to assure the poor north Indian population that they should not worry and the government would take care of them. It was during this period that Uddhav was ranked as one of the best chief ministers in India by media outlets.  

Uddhav Govt Too Misused Power Like Others

I disliked that Uddhav’s government too misused power like others. His government allowed the arrest of TV journalist Rahul Kulkarni as a vendetta for exposing the story of special treatment to the financial scam accused Wadhwan family members during the pandemic, which is one such example. Kulkarni was accused of rumour-mongering that led to a crowd of thousands of people outside the Bandra station. The BMC run by his party demolished actress Kangana Ranaut’s office in Khar because she made some unpalatable comments against Thackeray. A senior officer from Patna Police was quarantined when he came to Mumbai to investigate Sushant Singh’s suicide. Union minister Narayan Rane and his son Nitesh were arrested on unconvincing grounds. The Rana couple from Amravati was arrested and charged with treason when they announced to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav Thackeray’s residence. Such actions were seen as high-handed and made Uddhav a politician no different than others. Uddhav Thackeray enrolled a tainted cop like Sachin Waze into the Shiv Sena and also gave Vidhan Sabha ticket to his former boss, both of whom are in gaol in the Antillia conspiracy. When Sachin Waze’s role in the conspiracy was exposed on the floor of Vidhan Sabha, Uddhav defended him, saying that “Sachin Waze is not Osama bin Laden.”

Uddhav's Disconnect With Media

I dislike Uddhav’s disconnect with the media. After the rebellion in the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray and Narendra Modi are not on good terms. However, they share a similar trait. PM Modi is often criticised for not taking press conferences and that was the case with Uddhav Thackeray as well. During his tenure as CM, Uddhav seldom took press conferences or answered questions from the media. However, after losing power, he has made amends for this attitude and now frequently interacts with the media.

Uddhav's Love For The Camera

I like Uddhav’s photographic skills. Uddhav might not be comfortable with cameramen from the media but he loves the camera. In the late 1980s, when Uddhav had not entered active politics, he went along with his camera to the public meetings of his father, Balasaheb Thackeray. While senior Thackeray got busy charging up Shiv Sainiks with his oratory, Uddhav engrossed himself clicking pictures. Over the years, Uddhav has contributed substantially to wildlife photography and has also produced an album on the historical forts of Maharashtra.    

Nepotistic Approach

I dislike Uddhav’s nepotistic approach. Before becoming the CM, Uddhav was editor-in-chief of Saamana newspaper, but when he became the CM, the post was passed on to his wife Rashmi. Rashmi was not having any journalistic experience then and Sanjay Raut, the executive editor, was seen as a deserving candidate for the post. Uddhav kept the editor-in-chief’s post within the Thackeray family.

Uddhav's Fighting Spirit

I like Uddhav’s fighting spirit. Despite losing power, and defection by a large number of party functionaries, MPs and MLAs, Uddhav has managed to give a tough time to his detractors. In a legal battle, he won Shivaji Park to conduct the Shiv Sena’s traditional Dashera rally. Despite doubts over the number of footfalls, the crowd spilled outside the ground. It was no less than the one organised by his rival, Eknath Shinde, at the BKC grounds with all the resources in his hand.