Wiped out by ‘face-off’: How Raut’s ‘face-off’ became a tool for division between BJP and Uddhav’s army

“When Balasaheb (in Saamana) writes Sampark, tab people take it seriously… and it was authentic. But after that we hear the statements of Uddhav Thackeray and other big leaders on TV and that shows the party line. But sometimes there is a gap between him and the wealth printed on the face…”

(When Balasaheb used to write editorials, everyone took him very seriously. But nowadays we see on TV what Uddhav Thackeray and other top leaders say and understand what the party wants to say. Many a times I have seen an argument between the two. Have seen the difference. What does the party say and what is the editorial of Saamana…)

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These words of Rajesh Waghe, sales coordinator in Mumbai, perhaps sum up the mood of the enthusiastic readers of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana. Waghe is a proud Shiv Sainik with his roots in Konkan, the Shiv Sena stronghold. Without mincing his words, he says, “During 2019, even when behind-the-scenes talks were taking place between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, Saamana’s editorials were critical of the state BJP leadership, which That eventually resulted in a break-up.” He adds, “I had heard in the news that many Shiv Sena The leaders wanted to forge an alliance with the BJP.

Bal Thackeray’s words to face Raut

Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana is known for its clear messaging. Saamana’s words have been central to the party’s communication. It began as a tool of politics in 1988, when Bal Thackeray, the then Shiv Sena supremo, himself a cartoonist, began writing editorials criticizing the policies of the then Congress government. He also published a weekly magazine Marmik. Both the newspaper and the magazine tapped into anti-establishment sentiment and highlighted the plight of the Marathi manoos, who was allegedly being duped by the merchant class. Initially, the Shiv Sena exploited anti-South Indian sentiment. Gradually under Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena supremo Thackeray’s more flamboyant nephew, it turned its gaze against north Indians. In all this, Maharashtrians remained central to Shiv Sena politics, while Saamana provided the necessary ideological base to the party’s followers.

Saamana became the word of Bal Thackeray.

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Anurag Chaturvedi, former editor of Hamara Mahanagar, told News18, “It has been 35 years since Saamana was launched. But I believe Saamana has not matured to be considered a newspaper till date. They used to have balanced editorial and news coverage during Balasaheb’s reign. But after Balasaheb, the editorials are basically focused on criticism of Narendra Modi. Its executive editor Sanjay Raut has been rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat for writing against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially Modi. Today’s encounter seems like Sanjay Raut’s encounter.

This criticism is coming not only from readers, but also from political opponents and allies of Shiv Sena. They say that today’s encounter is not a reflection of the mind of the party supremo, but of its editors.

distance from editorial

There have been instances when Saamana’s editorials have gone against the party line, leaving the party with no option but to distance itself from it.

On 1 May 2014, Saamana’s editorial criticized the Gujarati community, which led to an unprecedented distancing in the same newspaper the next day. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who was then holidaying abroad, had to issue a statement clarifying that he did not agree with the views. This was probably the first time that Shiv Sena ie the party took a stand contrary to the editorial of Saamana.

In another instance, Raut’s weekly column appeared to attack the system after Sanjay Dutt was released from jail during the BJP-Shiv Sena regime. The article enraged Bal Thackeray.

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When Raj Thackeray criticized Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Saamna then broke a news story, advising the star to learn loyalty from South superstar Rajinikanth. The Thackerays (Bal Thackeray and Uddhav) stood firmly behind the Bachchan family during the controversy, denied what was printed and distanced themselves from the news.

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena MP and current editor of the mouthpiece, reiterates that Saamana is an independent newspaper. He says, “I have been associated with Saamana for the last 35 years, then there was no association with the BJP. In Saamana we always write what is our party line. Therefore, the allegation that Saamana is the reason for the rift between BJP and Shiv Sena is incorrect. Let them say whatever they have to say, because the truth is always bitter.”

2019 fire

Did Saamana or its editorials add fuel to the fire due to the communication breakdown between the two old allies in 2019? Sources say that many party leaders had advised Uddhav that the language of the editorial should be less aggressive. The Maharashtra BJP leadership, a pre-poll alliance partner of the Shiv Sena, had also urged Uddhav on several occasions between 2014 and 2019 to stop targeting the BJP leadership in Saamana’s editorials.

In 2019, after the assembly elections, when the BJP emerged as the single largest party, a Saamana editorial claimed that there was an understanding between Uddhav Thackeray and the then BJP president Amit Shah on the power-sharing formula and it was then when the latter had visited the Thackeray residence Matoshree. Devendra Fadnavis later denied this.

Since then Saamana has taken a tough stand against the BJP and started criticizing it. Even in 2014, when the BJP broke its alliance with the Shiv Sena, Saamana attacked its NDA ally. Initially, Saamana focused on Hindutva ideology and nationalism, but later views on regionalism became more pronounced, which the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, Shiv Sena’s new ally, were more friendly towards.

“Balasaheb Thackeray was more open to dialogue and enjoyed good relations with BJP leaders of his time. But the new, changed leadership of both BJP and Shiv Sena failed to follow in his footsteps. Earlier, the BJP was content to play second fiddle to the Shiv Sena while it played the role of Big Brother. But the rise of the Modi-Shah duo changed the dynamics of national politics. Maharashtra was no exception and saw a reorganization as well. Uddhav Thackeray failed to cope with the newly emerging equations and may have secretly decided to take a different route to fulfill his long pending dream of becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But it seems to have come at a heavy price. Not only have they lost power, but their MPs and MLAs have switched sides, the Election Commission (EC), in a judgement, ordered both the party name and the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to be handed over to Eknath Shinde, leaving Uddhav Have given. Thackeray has no option but to go to the people’s court. He can either emerge as a leader or deal the final blow to whatever is left of his party,” says Sudhir Suryavanshi, author of the book Checkmate.

scenes that hurt

We met Rajendra Chandorkar, a retired Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) clerk and a staunch Shiv Sena supporter, near Shiv Sena Bhawan. “I didn’t know the wind India And there is some plan to shift the headquarter of Reserve Bank of India to Delhi. One day I read this in Saamana. But Shiv Sena did a tremendous agitation in Mumbai and the Center canceled their plan. He further said, “If there was no face-off, who else would show news against the Centre?”

(I was not aware of the plan to shift the headquarters of Air India and Reserve Bank of India to Delhi. I read it in Saamana. But Shiv Sena agitated in Mumbai and the Center had to cancel its plan. Apart from Saamana, Who would dare to publish news against the Centre?)

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Shiv Sena also publishes a Hindi newspaper called ‘Duphar Ka Saamna’. It reproduces Marathi editorials in Hindi and aims to attract non-Marathis, especially Hindi-speaking people of North India. Rajesh Mishra, a local tea seller near Mogal Lane in Dadar, has a keen interest in Maharashtra politics. He speaks Marathi but is not fluent in the language, and gets all his updates on the Shiv Sena and its politics from Hindi Saamana. Mishra says, “Saheb, I study Hindi Saamana even today but gave up contact. The bar of wealth seems to be the editor’s own view and not that of the party. I have been selling tea for the last 15 years in Shivaji Park. Many people say that after 2019, Saamana’s contacts never spoke much against NCP and Congress. Sometimes it seems that is Saamana their paper?

(I read Hindi Saamana. But I have stopped reading editorials as I feel it is more personal view of editor than party. I have been selling tea in Shivaji Park for last 15 years and hear a lot. ) People say that after 2019, not much has been said about NCP and Congress in the editorial of Saamana. Sometimes it seems that Saamana is still his mouthpiece?)

Senior journalist and political analyst Prakash Akolkar, who is also the author of Jai Maharashtra, a book on the Shiv Sena, says, “Due to political compulsions, Uddhav Thackeray could not speak on political issues, so he confronted them to give a political line to his party.” used. staff. But the opposite has happened. Raut had to pay the price for writing against BJP and Modi. He had to face the heat of the ED. There is no doubt that the rift between the BJP and the Shiv Sena grew because of the confrontation. BJP leaders have been hurt by the tone and attitude of its editorial.

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Political parties have often used in-house publications as mouthpieces to communicate party programs and policies and to shape the political narrative. They are often direct in their import and messaging as their primary objective is to rally the core constituency. From the Communist Party using its mouthpiece to disseminate Prakash Karat’s views on the nuclear deal to the BJP’s Kamal Sandesh, parties with strong ideological positions routinely use the written word as a tool to advance their political agenda. use appropriately. But when the tool starts shaping destruction and leading to differences, it becomes important to re-think the emphasis of its editorial base. Haven’t we often heard that newsrooms need to constantly evolve?

It would not be entirely wrong to expect from the editor(s) of Saamana how much damage Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena must have suffered due to his militancy.

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