Thackeray tamasha

The law has taken its course in Maharashtra with very unpredictable results. It is tempting to dismiss Bal Thackeray's arrest which ended ...

The law has taken its course in Maharashtra with very unpredictable results. It is tempting to dismiss Bal Thackeray8217;s arrest which ended not with a bang but a whimper as a tamasha signifying nothing. But that would be wrong. Several important things have been demonstrated in the course of the events leading up to the arrest, in the arrest itself and in the magistrate8217;s dismissal of the case against the Shiv Sena leader on technical grounds.

There could be positive effects over the longer run. Mumbai has paid a high price in terms of manhours lost and days of uncertainty and tension. That has been the price of the invaluable demonstration that neither Bal Thackeray nor the government of Maharashtra are above the law. Underlying the drama of the arrest and the anti-climax in the magistrate8217;s court, is the essential fact that the law prevailed. The government was meticulous about following the proper procedure. Sainiks attempted the usual tactics of intimidation and violence, burning buses and haltingtrains. But thwarted by the massive police bandobast made by the Maharashtra government, they turned to legitimate tactics. Political pressure on the Vajpayee government did not work. When Thackeray did eventually get off the hook it was through the legal process and not by Sainiks holding Mumbai to ransom.

The importance of such lessons cannot be understated, especially where the Shiv Sena which has thrived on lawlessness is concerned. The question uppermost on everyone8217;s mind now is, will Thackeray stop making statements which incite his followers to violence. Time will tell but two things suggest he will be careful in future. First, an important threshold has been crossed. Thackeray8217;s arrest has exploded the dangerous myth of his invincibility. Second, at 74 Thackery has probably had all the tension he wants and so is unlikely to court trouble again. His followers though are a different matter. Far from being chastened, Sainiks are feeling triumphant.

The police will have to remain on the alert for mischief. It is Maharashtra8217;s Home Minister Chhajan Bhujbal who will be feeling subdued. He certainly needs to explain why the government went to court so ill prepared. This is the last surviving case against Thackeray for his role in the riots of 1992-93 for which the Srikrishna commission had indicted him in very strong language. The Maharashtra government is committed to implementing the Srikrishna report and, therefore, has no choice but to file an appeal against the magistrate8217;s order.

The morale of the Shiv Sena which has been low for many months following the decline in its popularity has been boosted. It may well be encouraged to launch sons-of-the-soil or other populist campaigns with renewed vigour in order to capitalise on the recent attention it has received. Immediately, because the Sena has nowhere else to go it will not be inclined to rock the NDA boat at the Centre. However, the party is nursing a deep grudge against the BJP for not doing enough at the Centre or in the state to help its ally in its worst-ever crisis. A bust-up of some kind seems probable in course of time. One can only guess where the next spell of Sena activism will lead but at least it has been put on notice and the survival of the case against Thackeray will reinforce it that lawlessness will not be tolerated.