Sena ‘defanged’? Amit Shah’s attack on Thackerays, and the loud silence

Sanjay Raut jailed, Anil Parab under ED radar, many others now rebels, Sena chooses path of least aggression

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde welcomes Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at government residence 'Varsha Bungalow' during Ganpati Darshan. (Express Photo)

ONCE upon a time, an attack of the kind by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Thackerays would have brought the Shiv Sena on the roads. However, Shah’s blistering statements accusing Uddhav Thackeray of “betrayal” and exhortations to BJP workers to ensure that his Sena is “shown its place”, while on a visit to the Thackeray backyard of Mumbai earlier this week, saw only a muted rebuttal by the party.

Sena leaders admit a vacuum in the party, left by the absence of leaders who could earlier be counted on to take on the BJP. While one of the foremost, Sanjay Raut, is in jail, the party has lost many senior leaders to the Eknath Shinde faction, while other leaders facing charges are now proceeding with caution.

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They include MLC Anil Parab, who is currently under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate, and MLAs like Gulabrao Patil, Dilip Lande, Prakash Surve, Sada Sarvankar and senior leaders like Ramdas Kadam who have switched sides to Shinde, apart from Shinde himself.

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A Sena leader admitted that many Shiv Sainiks are under pressure from the BJP and Shinde camp, and do not wish to spoil relations with both.

Even the Thackerays were uncharacteristically muted. Speaking to the media on Shah’s statement, Aaditya Thackeray said, “I don’t want to say anything on it. But the real conspiracy or betrayal which was planned (by the BJP) is in front of everyone. Instead of asking me about Shah’s statements, people should ask those 40 traitors what they have to say.”

Uddhav Thackeray said: “Let them (the BJP) say whatever they wish to say. The BJP is out to finish the Shiv Sena.”

Among the few who spoke up were former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, MP Arvind Sawant, MLC Manisha Kayande and former Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire, who said the Sena was prepared “to show the BJP its place”.

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Contrast this to April, when Independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, an Independent MLA, had announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the personal residence of the Thackerays in Bandra. Shiv Sena workers had gheraoed their residence in Khar, as well as attacked BJP leader Kirit Somaiya when he visited the police station to meet the Rana couple.

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Asked about the softer stance on the issue, a Sena leader said the party does not wish to get into a verbal battle and was working on rebuilding the organisation. “Uddhavji is focused on major issues. Replying to any such comments would be a distraction and it’s not worth it. The party’s focus is to prepare for elections and teach the traitors a lesson,” the leader said.