The ‘gaddar’ calls dominating Maharashtra politics

It all began with Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) saying that June 20 should be commemorated as ‘Gaddar Din’ or Traitor Day. Accordingly, party workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the ‘betrayal’.

It was on June 20 last year that CM Shinde (then cabinet minister) raised a banner of revolt in the Shiv Sena and walked out with 40 rebels. He was supported by 10 Independents. The rebellion he engineered split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav.

Shinde’s ‘betrayal’ was backed by the BJP and was part of its Operation Lotus to avenge Uddhav’s ‘betrayal’ after the 2019 polls. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis referred to this at a public rally held in Kalyan on Monday. “In 2019, Shiv Sena (undivided) and BJP contested polls together as pre-poll allies. But post polls, Thackeray stabbed our back. He betrayed us. He joined Congress-NCP to form MVA government and got the CM’s post,” he said.

On Tuesday, at public rallies held in Mumbai to celebrate the Shiv Sena’s foundation day – two events were held to mark the occasion – both Uddhav and Shinde did not mince words, accusing each other of ‘gaddari’ or betrayal.

Uddhav alleged that Shinde betrayed the Sena as he wanted to become CM, ironically the same thing he was accused of by the BJP. “Bal Thackeray had said I would rather wind up my party instead of joining hands with Congress-NCP. So, have you not betrayed Balasaheb, your own father?” Shinde asked. “Had he been loyal to his father’s ideology, we would have not been forced to take such an extreme step,” Shinde said.

The politics of defection is not new to Maharashtra politics though.

In 1978, Sharad Pawar broke away from Congress (Urs) to form a coalition government with Janata Party. At 38 years of age, Pawar was then the youngest chief minister. In 1980, the Pawar-led Progressive Democratic Front government was dismissed. Pawar later returned to Congress, only to be expelled from the party in 1999 following differences over Sonia Gandhi’s foreign citizenship. He later formed the Nationalist Congress Party.

Despite their past differences, however, the Congress and NCP were able to mend broken fences and work together. The Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014 and Pawar’s role as Union minister in UPA-I and UPA-II are testament to this.

It seems unlikely that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the BJP-Shinde Sena, which has been in power for 11 months now, will find common ground any time soon.

“The BJP has always shown restraint but if our rivals attack our top leaders daily, we are bound to react,” BJP MLC Shrikant Shinde said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday that he had written to the UN to declare June 20 as ‘Gaddar din’. In response, BJP MLA Nilesh Rane posted a tweet, tagging the United Nations, demanding that July 27 be declared as ‘Traitor Day’. July 27 is Uddhav Thackeray’s birthday.

With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls around the corner, followed by the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls next year, the mud-slinging and name-calling are likely to continue.