Bal Thackeray breaks silence on Raj-Uddhav feud

‘‘Shiv Sena is the Himalayas, which rose on the shoulders of loyal Shiv Sainiks, and everyone in it has grown up in its shadow,’’ the editorial said. ‘‘Those standing in its shadow should not think they are bigger (than the Himalayas).’’

The editorial indicates that Bal Thackeray is getting over the shock of rebellion and beginning a crackdown. The editorial, it is apparent, advises his nephew, never even once naming him, from regarding the party as family inheritance; and adding that if he had such josh, he should have pitched in strongly to defeat Sena rebel Rane in the recent bypoll. The editorial indicates that Thackeray senior was in grief over the feud. The ball is now in the court of his nephew four days after he quit party posts challenging Uddhav’s leadership.

Raj would have garnered the sympathy of party cadres had he been sacked. Faced with a similar situation in July, when Narayan Rane had quit party posts, Thackeray Sr had sacked him within 24 hours.

Raj’s options now: start a new party, or compromise with Uddhav. Simultaneously, Uddhav launched two new Sena efforts to attract public attention. He returned from blocking roads in Pune district and led Sena MLAs to meet Governor S M Krishna to up the ante on the border dispute with Karnataka. But Uddhav’s stir on the sugarcane issue has come late (the party is demanding Rs 1,200 per tonne instead of Rs 850 offered by the government). Most of the sugar mills have started cane crushing season after a wage agreement with harvesting workers.

Meanwhile Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday met Raj here amid reports that he was ‘‘mediating’’ between Raj and Uddhav. Party sources described the meeting as ‘‘routine’’ although a section of media said Raut had gone there as a ‘‘mediator’’ between the two feuding cousins.

Here’s what the Saamna said

• Shiv Sena is the Himalayas raised on sweat and blood of Shiv Sainiks. Everyone (in Sena) has grown in its shadow. Those who have grown in its shadow should not think they are bigger than that.

• If there is so much josh (energy) in you, where does it go when the Sena is in peril? If they (those who smashed the Skoda of Saamna editor Sanjay Raut) had shown the same josh in Malvan against Naroba (Narayan Rane), we would have felicitated them.

• Shiv Sena is not private property of the Thackeray family. If it is a property, then it belongs to the Marathi Manoos and Hindutva janata. The Sainiks are not loyal to any individual leader, but only to the party

• Sena has seen victories and defeats in the past, but has not lost courage

• Nobody can see the tears of a fish crying in water…nobody can imagine the grief (a reference to Thackeray Sr’s grief over the family feud)