Hingoli (Maharashtra): The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) put up a strong show of strength at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodi Yatra on Thursday and Friday, with several leaders of the alliance – including Thackeray scion Aaditya – joining the Maharashtra leg of the nationwide march.
Aditya, whose family has criticized Gandhi family many times in the pastgot included in Travel Friday was seen walking for about 8 km and even hugging and holding hands with Rahul.
joined Congress allies 3,570 km Travel The march was attended by Nationalist Congress Party supriya Sule, NCP state chief Jayant Patil, and Ambadas Danve, the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and the leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
after he joined Travel in Hingoli, MarathwadaAaditya – the son of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray – told ThePrint that “a vibrant democracy” requires people from diverse ideologies to come together.
Referring to the constant criticism of the conflicting ideologies of Congress and Shiv Sena, he said, “What is wrong if two ideologies come together for the country.”
“those who are [ supposed to be] People of the same ideology wanted to eliminate us, wanted to get us out of politics, used to eat us up. What is the coming together of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra today? [We may be from] There are different ideologies, but this is what a vibrant democracy is all about – working together for the betterment of our country, people and Constitution.”
Aaditya was apparently referring to the BJP, the party that is now in the ruling coalition for Shiv Sena rebel and current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. In June, Shinde led a rebellion that led to a vertical split in the Shiv Sena. bringing down Uddhav’s MVA govt.
Aditya’s presence Travel This is being seen as yet another sign of the growing closeness between the Congress and the Shiv Sena faction of Uddhav Thackeray. Since forging an alliance together for the first time in 2019 to form the MVA, the ties between the two parties have come a long way.
Congress’s communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh agreed that there are ideological differences between the two parties, but added that the MVA was formed on the basis of the Common Minimum Program (CMP).
“I had a small role in forming the CMP. It was an earthquake in Maharashtra politics because we had to find a middle ground because Shiv Sena and Congress have different ideologies. And we got it,” Ramesh told ThePrint.
Aims to cover Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra flagged off on August 23 from Kanyakumari 3,570-km All over India and till now has covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. TravelWho is going to stay in Maharashtra till 20th November, is expected to reach srinagar At the end of January next year.
read this also, Six Reasons Why India Jodo Yatra Isn’t Just A Regular Political ‘Tamasha’
‘Our destiny will move’
Feather TravelSlogans against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde resound every time the rally passes through the constituency of the rival Shiv Sena faction.
Subhash Wankhede, a Shiv Sainik from Nanded, told ThePrint, “We have come here because an invitation was sent to Uddhav Thackeray and he accepted it. “There is autocracy in the country. the rules are bent [to suit the leadership], That’s why we are supporting the Yatra.”
Meanwhile, NCP leaders like Supriya Sule also joined Travel in Nanded on Thursday evening and even attended a public rally in the city where Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to speak.
“NCP chief Sharad Pawar asked us to represent his party and extend our support to the Bharat Jodi Yatra. we see rahul gandhi running till here Travel, Now we can say that our fortune is also going to move forward.
Ramesh told ThePrint that although organized by Congress Travel Will welcome anyone willing to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“Although it is a Travel of any political party, [the] Congress party is not an NGO and we extended invitation to all those who wanted to fight the ideology of BJP/RSS. And whoever wants to fight an ideological battle and we welcome him.
from rivals to allies
Though the relationship between the ideological rivals, the Sena and the Congress, has always been an enigma.
Within a year of the Army’s birth in 1966, there were frequent skirmishes between the party and the communists, which he “seeed as”anti civilians,
The ruling Congress turned a blind eye to these struggles – which were mainly centered around Mumbai’s mill districts – because the weakening of the Left movement would benefit the party politically.
The strategic silence of the Congress prompted the Communists to call in the army.spring armyFor allegedly furthering the agenda of then Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik.
There were other instances when Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena founder and father of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, came out in support of the Congress.
For example, in the 2007 presidential election, Bal Thackeray went against the then Shiv Sena’s ally BJP for supporting United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pratibha Patil. When asked, Shiv Sena had said that it cannot oppose any Maharashtrian.
In fact, it was Thackeray who supported the much-awaited Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.
“We have supported each other in the past as well. Bal Thackeray supported the candidatures of Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee despite their differing ideologies,” Aditya, grandson of the Shiv Sena founder told ThePrint at the Bharat Jodi Yatra.
However, the last two years have seen a slow transformation in their relationship.
Especially the relationship between Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray has seen a remarkable change.
This is important, because in 2019 Gandhi was a descendant Allegedly Oppose Alliance with Shiv Sena due to ideological reasons and was angry with senior party leaders like late Ahmed Patel Mediation This.
The alliance came together only after the three allies – Congress, Sena and NCP – agreed on a common minimum programme.
“The CMP had to be formed and once it was done, the Congress came on board and today we are part of the MVA,” Ramesh told ThePrint.
This growing closeness between the two parties showed – Aditya in January 2020 Had a meeting Rahul in Delhi, two months after his parties forged an alliance.
In his speech at the Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally in early October, Uddhav had said that Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar stood by him when his own people “betrayed him”.
The speech came nearly two months after internal strife and a subsequent rebellion within the Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the Uddhav-led MVA, making way for a new government led by rebel army leader Eknath Shinde.
Congress also retaliated. In the last cabinet meeting of the Uddhav government – just before the fall of the Congress supported Thackeray decided to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.
The decision came despite the Congress party’s long-standing position against such name changes.
Aditya sees this alliance as a way to save India’s democracy.
“If you look at the country at present, what is happening is that whoever is raising voice or speaking the truth is facing interrogation and illegal arrest. This is a threat to our democracy.’
This is an updated version of the story
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Read also: Uddhav says in last-ditch attempt to pacify rebels, MVA was ready to quit and join hands with BJP