Movie madness

The Shiv Sena and the MNS get their fearsome power from everyone who cowers in front of them and allows their dysfunctional worldview to become the states political norm. The BJP,Congress and NCP have all been complicit,either unable to articulate a cogent alternative to the Senas hysterical nativism or actively benefiting from the same tactics. They simply hung around lamely while the Sena

destroyed libraries and targeted artists and intellectuals ensuring that the Senas death-grip on Maharashtra far exceeded its electoral strength. In the past week,when it looked like there could be a concerted wave of political resistance

after the BJP and Congress finally discovered their backbone NCP leader Sharad Pawar decided to play his own petty game,by showing up at Bal Thackerays residence and showily placating the Sena leader to let the IPL show go on. Pawars insecurities and his friction with the Congress are all too visible but he did great disservice to the state government by letting Thackeray save face at a moment when he was utterly isolated otherwise.

But now,the Sena backlash is not just a matter of spin and script it has to be backed up by solid state action. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has said that violence will not be brooked,and even threatened to withdraw Uddhav Thackerays security cover but his administration has not been able to confront the Senas rampage on Mumbais streets. The states home minister,R.R. Patil,is an NCP man,and given that his partys role in this matter has been especially abject,what chance of the administration staring down the Shiv Sena?