Inheriting ancestral property does not mean that the person takes proper care of it. There is always the possibility that he may misuse it and contribute to the collapse of the legacy created by his patriarch. This person acts like a parasite and eats property, accumulated wealth, fields and once he has exhausted every item, he survives on credit. Initially he may find few lenders, but soon, due to his tendency, he gets out of any kind of loan from the market and then his existence is at stake.
This is the condition of both the princes of Congress and Shiv Sena. Both were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. The Congress had once ruled the entire country and the Shiv Sena exercised complete control over the country’s financial capital. But today both are left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, in order to gather crowds for their respective events, the two have to scratch each other’s backs. The reason I make this statement is that both Congress and the Penguin Army have agreed to support each other when it comes to gaining public support for their respective events.
Congress prince has called for ‘Bharat Jodi’ Yatra. Considering the ‘overwhelming’ response to the yatra in other parts of the country, Congress workers want to ensure that it is equally successful in Maharashtra. And so they have come up with a unique idea to gather the crowd when the Yatra reaches Maharashtra. Thoughts – Penguin Sena ensures that people join their yatra in Maharashtra and in return Congress will ensure that people attend the pre-Dussehra rally in large numbers. It is nothing but a ‘barter exchange’ as the two have come to an agreement that now they have ‘absolutely nothing’ left. Of course, these two princes are only responsible for the ‘fruits of their deeds’.
Very few Shiv Sainiks who were with the venerable Balasaheb Thackeray have closely observed his dedication and commitment with which he worked to bring the party to this level and create a place in the minds of the people. Leaders like Chhaganrao Bhujbal have also witnessed the efforts made by late Balasaheb for the development of Shiv Sena. Today we sincerely hope that Goddess Saraswati imparts some knowledge to Chhaganrao. Otherwise too.
In fact, hundreds of Shiv Sainiks have shed their blood in the early years of the party. In those days Shiv Sainiks used to get furious due to the injustice being done to Marathi human beings in this Mumbapuri. To build the organisation, the party established its shakhas (party offices) in different parts of the city. It was a proper place for all those who had suffered injustice or were affected by the system and wanted justice. The ‘Shakha Pramukh’ was the head of the area concerned. Veteran leaders like Vamanrao Mahadik, Dattaji Nalvade, Pramod Navalkar, Sudhir Joshi, Dattaji Salvi, Satish Pradhan and others were such staunch workers of Balasaheb that they were ready to take any challenge for their leader Balasaheb Thackeray. Venerable Balasaheb’s residence was the proper abode of Shiv Sainiks. Shiv Sena did not become popular
Not just with his political agenda, but also because of Balasaheb and his wife Meenatai’s sincere love and affection for Shiv Sainiks.
Shiv Sena which was confined to Mumbai and Thane gradually spread throughout the state. It became strong enough to control the affairs of the state. And when Balasaheb’s legal heir took over governance, he strangled the shakha chiefs and also broke the chain of party shakhas, which were being patronized together over the years. He also stopped the practice of meeting his workers. He was responsible for destroying a flourishing tree named Shiv Sena with his own hands and thus met his fate. He broke the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party based on the ideology of Hindutva. And for his thirst for power, he joined hands with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, which are staunch opponents of Hindutva. And the Shiv Sainiks saw how it resulted in the downfall of Shiv Sena. The enthusiasm of Shiv Sainiks is evident from their zeal and enthusiasm during the last two and a half years when the Shiv Sena Chief Minister-led coalition government was in power during 1995.
What can one say about the prince of Congress? It is difficult to find such a ‘character’. He is a leader who tore an ordinance passed by the Prime Minister of his own party during his press conference. He is responsible for the downfall of Congress. Rajiv Gandhi’s political understanding was far less than that of his mother. But no one doubted the ‘vision’ of Rajiv Gandhi. On the contrary, Rajkumar is busy running his own entertainment program and displaying his ignorance about various matters. A leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad left the Congress only because of resentment and discontent about this prince. Prithviraj Chavan has been associated with the Congress since his father’s time. The Chavan-Nehru-Gandhi families were closely related. And when this Prithviraj Chavan claims that Rahul Gandhi should not be the party president, there must have been a reason for sure. He should be aware of the capabilities of the Congress prince. And when this prince sets out on a journey, his workers will certainly have to work hard to mobilize the crowd. By helping each other both Congress and Shiv Sena may be able to gather their desired crowd. Of course, since neither of them has the ability to think ahead, neither will find anything wrong with it. Such borrowing can help them in the short term. But what next?
Disclaimer
The views expressed above are those of the author.
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