EKNATH Shinde is discovering that becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra propped up by the BJP may have been the easy part. As the countdown starts to the next elections, it’s a fight from the scratch for the man who split the Shiv Sena to win enough numbers to not just retain the party but also his place in the coalition, amidst a BJP buoyed by yet more poll wins and a combative Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Against this background comes the roll of a well-tested dice by Shinde now – a dispute involving the centuries-old Haji Malang Dargah.
What is the shrine, and what is the dispute?
Located on the lowest plateau of Malanggad, a hill fort 3,000 feet above sea level on the Matheran hill ranges, the Haji Malang Dargah is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.
Chandrahas Ketkar, one of members of the trust that runs the dargah, whose family has been managing it for the past 14 generations, told The Indian Express: “Anyone claiming that the dargah is a temple is doing it for political mileage… In 1954, the Supreme Court in a case related to control of the dargah within the Ketkar family observed that the dargah was a composite structure that cannot be governed either by Hindu or Muslim law, but only by its own special custom or by general law of trusts.”
The trust has had both Hindu and Muslim members, and while the shrine remains a dargah, Hindus continue to perform aarti on its premises on full moon day.
The first sign of communal strife over the shrine came in the mid-1980s when Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe started an agitation claiming that the shrine belonged to Hindus as it was the site of a 700-year-old Machindranath temple. In 1996, he insisted on leading 20,000 Shiv Sainiks to the shrine to offer prayers.
The then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi along with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray also attended a prayer that year. Since then the Sena as well as right-wing groups refer to the structure as Shri Malang Gad.
The movement helped burnish Dighe’s credentials as “Dharmaveer, or warrior of the faith”, granting him an almost legendary status within the Shiv Sena.
Dighe’s protege, Shinde sees himself as the inheritor of his legacy – and now, his dargah claims. Speaking at a religious event called ‘Malanggad Harinam Mahotsav’ earlier this week in his Thane fiefdom, Shinde spoke of Dighe’s role in the “liberation movement” of Malang Gad after which, he said, “we started saying Jay Malang, Shri Malang”.
The poll factor
Recent reports have indicated that the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance is holding strong against the BJP-Shinde Sena-Ajit Pawar NCP grouping in the state. Shinde is in a particularly vulnerable position as, while he has been acknowledged as the real Shiv Sena by courts and has most of the legislators and MPs by his side, this has not been tested on the ground.
The biggest challenge Shinde faces is countering Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s natural claim to his father and Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s legacy. Uddhav has called the Shinde-led revolt a “betrayal” of “Balasaheb”, whose eminence within the Sena remains unchallenged, and will seek sympathy vote for the pulling down of his government by Shinde.
Apart from Balasaheb, the fight for the Sena is about the fight for being recognised as the true upholder of Hindutva. Shinde has accused Uddhav of losing out on that by leaving the BJP to align with the Congress; the dargah issue may further help Shinde’s case.
In his Thane speech, Shinde also made a reference to demolitions carried out by his government in November 2022 around the Satara tomb of Afzal Khan, the commander of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, who was killed by Maratha king Shivaji.
“No one had the courage to take any action against the demolitions. We did what we had to do, as taught by Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe. I never hold back,” Shinde said.
Shinde’s shakha struggles
Another poll obstacle for Shinde is his failure to set up an organisational structure of his Sena faction in districts, with the loyalty of the Sena shakhas still firmly with Uddhav. This is true in the Sena showpiece stronghold of Mumbai as well, with only a handful of shakha pramukhs and 17 of the city’s 90 corporators having joined his faction. Shinde has been able to create a strong organisational structure only in Thane, Raigad, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
The Ajit Pawar factor
Shinde’s position has been left shakier since the inclusion of Ajit Pawar-led NCP into the ruling alliance. The BJP has tried to ease his fears insisting that there is no alternative to Shinde and he will lead the triumvirate alliance into the elections. But the Shinde camp has its doubts – not least because of the BJP’s record when it comes to regional allies.
The stand of other parties
The BJP has given tacit backing to Shinde’s stand. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule said: “When you evaluate religious sites, you need to see what was located there earlier. The government will look into the history of Malanggad and check its origins. We will take decisions based on that.”
The NCP Sharad Pawar faction attacked Shinde for “making utterances just so to feed communal strife”, and said this did not behove a CM. “He should realise that he is CM Eknath Shinde and not just Eknath Shinde,” Jitendra Awhad said.
The AIMIM also questioned a CM “targeting the religious place of one particular faith”. “Haji Malang is a centuries old dargah. The Maharashtra CM says we will change its character. You are the CM of the entire state and the people living in it,” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said.