Although politically, it may sound inconsequential, I am shocked to know that Thapa has joined the rebel camp of the Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde. On Monday evening, he joined the Shinde faction at a public event in Thane. For those who have been observing the Shiv Sena over the decades, Thapa’s exit from Matoshree seems unpalatable.


Sampa Singh Thapa was not just the most loyal house help of late party supremo Bal Thackeray but was also treated as a family member of the Thackerays. For 27 years, Thapa was with Bal Thackeray in his thick and thin and took care of him in his last days. He worshipped Thackeray like God. People saw him grieving at Thackeray’s funeral at Shivaji Park in November 2012.


Sampa Singh Thapa joined Bal Thackeray in 1985 as his house help at the age of twenty years. He hails from Chimoli village near the Indo-Nepal border. Because of extreme poverty, Thapa left his home and crossed the border near Gorakhpur in February 1985 to hunt for a job in India.


Somebody advised him to reach Mumbai where Nepalis were in much demand for employment in the security industry. A Bengali businessman, Ghosh ran a security agency named Royal Security in Thane. Ghosh recruited him as a guard for his bungalow in Yeor, a mini hill station in Mumbai’s neighbouring city, Thane. Ghosh turned out to be a friend of Bal Thackeray.


Once, during his visit to the bungalow, Thackeray was impressed with Thapa’s devotion towards his job. Thackeray told Ghosh that he wished Thapa to employ at his bungalow Matoshree. Ghosh obliged and since then Thapa became a shadow of Bal Thackeray. Anybody who visited Matoshree couldn’t miss meeting Thapa. He always stood calmly in one corner whenever Thackeray interacted with anybody.


Initially, Thapa worked only at Matoshree but when Thackeray’s wife Minatai died in 1995, Thapa used to accompany him on outstation tours as well.


Once, while chatting with me in the corridors of Matoshree Thapa told me that initially Bal Thackeray was provided with just one police guard, but after General Arun Kumar Vaidya’s assassination in August 1986 by Khalistani militants, his security was beefed up. Ultimately, the government provided Z category security to Thackeray and his bungalow became a fortress.


Thapa never took any long leave till the time Bal Thackeray was alive, as he never wanted to leave Thackeray. Thackeray depended on him for his personal comforts and medication. It takes three to four days for Thapa to reach his distant village in Nepal. The longest leave he took was for seven days at the time of his son’s wedding. He attended the wedding for a few hours and, after completing the rituals, instantly returned to Mumbai. He keeps his family in Chimoli.


Thapa’s family members and villagers were proud that he was serving Thackeray. When Thackeray was ailing, Thapa ensured he took his medicines and food on time.


When I last spoke to Thapa (a few months after Bal Thackeray’s death), he sounded unhappy with the ongoings in the Shiv Sena.


“Hard workers are hard workers and money earners are money earners,” he quipped.


Although politically Uddhav Thackeray would lose nothing and Eknath Shinde wouldn’t gain anything by getting Thapa on his side, Thapa’s quitting Matoshree is another victory for Uddhav’s detractors.


Shinde has not only managed to poach MLAs, MPs, corporators and office bearers from Uddhav, but also the staff of Matoshree. However, what exactly compelled Thapa to quit Matoshree and join hands with Shinde is yet to be convincingly disclosed.



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