Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is also the executive editor of the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, was left red-faced when his party leadership Wednesday disowned an editorial that called for a ban on the burqa (face veils).
The editorial, which came close on the heels of Sri Lanka enforcing a ban on the burqa in the wake of the Easter bombings, prompted a clarification by Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe, saying it may be the “personal opinion” of the editor and is “not endorsed by the party president or the party”.
Ever since Saamana was founded in 1989, its contents have always been perceived as the Shiv Sena’s official line on various issues, and its editorials — penned by Raut with the Sena president’s stamp — as the voice of Sena founder Bal Thackeray and now his son and successor Uddhav Thackeray.
The editorials are written in the same aggressive vitriolic manner that has been typical of Bal Thackeray’s own and now his son’s speeches.
However, while Bal Thackeray never publicly disowned Saamana’s editorial stand, under Uddhav’s Shiv Sena, the controversy over the burqa editorial is not an isolated one. The paper and the party under Uddhav’s leadership have differed on issues earlier too. There have been at least three such occasions in the past when the party had distanced itself from Saamana’s content.
Also read: Criticising Vogue Arabia cover or New Zealanders donning hijabs reveal our liberal hypocrisy
The party-paper tussle
Weeks after his father Bal Thackeray’s death in November 2012, Uddhav succeeded him as the editor of Saamana. On 23 January 2013, the birth anniversary of his father, Uddhav officially took over the party’s reins as Shiv Sena president.
Since then, the first major incident of the Sena leadership distancing itself from a Saamana editorial was when the newspaper had taken potshots at the Gujarati community in Mumbai.
The newspaper had said Gujarati traders have exploited the city like a “prostitute” and filled their coffers. This was in May 2014, five months before the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Both Uddhav and his son, Aaditya, distanced themselves from the editorial by issuing a press statement.
The previous year, in June 2013, Saamana had published an editorial, criticising then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for his parochial approach in helping flood victims of Uttarakhand. Uddhav, however, played it down, saying Modi is doing very good work and his publicists are possibly to blame.
More recently in 2016, Saamana had published a contentious three-panelled caricature in its Sunday edition, lampooning the ongoing Maratha protests, playing on the words ‘muk morcha’ (silent protest) as ‘muka morcha’ (kissing protest).
After facing flak, Uddhav had published a front-page clarification in the paper, saying the intention was not to hurt the sentiments of the protesters, and later held a press conference to apologise.
A party functionary said, after the controversy, Uddhav had asked senior party leaders such as Subhash Desai and Liladhar Dake to have a more watchful eye on what Saamana prints.
‘Conscious political call’
“Taking one stand to attract a certain section of people, and then another to say that this is not the party’s official stand seems like a conscious political call by the Shiv Sena, reflective of the current situation that the party is in,” said political commentator Prakash Bal.
Bal said the Shiv Sena was at a stage where it was trying to keep its old support base of hardliners intact and at the same time attempting to attract new voters by projecting a more modern and softer approach.
“It is not so much about differences or any communication gap between Raut and Uddhav Thackeray as it is about stage management. This didn’t happen during Bal Thackeray’s time,” he added.
“The tradition of the Thackeray family and the Shiv Sena has never been ‘potat ek, othavar dusra’ (one thing in the stomach and another on the lips). Even if Sanjay Raut is the executive editor, earlier it used to be Bala saheb talking through him and now it is Uddhav saheb. There is no change,” said Ravindra Mirlekar, a Shiv Sena old-timer.
“Regarding Wednesday’s editorial too, Uddhav saheb hasn’t denied it himself,” Mirlekar added.
However, another long-time Shiv Sena leader, who has been with the party for more than three decades, said the burqa editorial should not have been written and it has never been the Sena’s agenda to ban the burqa.
“Whatever is printed in Saamana is seen as authentic information about the party, from party appointments to its views. The editorials have always been a reflection of the party. But, with everything that is happening now, it comes across as the leadership not having absolute control over Saamana like in the past.”
“It is unsettling, and the party’s image takes a beating,” he added.
Also read: Sri Lanka enforces ban on women’s face veils in the wake of Easter bombings
Javed Akhtar has tweeted, If Burqa, why not Ghoonghat as well …
Shiv Sena will never get another executive editor to fill in the shoes of Sanjay Raut.. He is indispensable to the Sena..
Sanjay Raut was praised in public by no less than a person of the stature of Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his journalism instincts..
Can Uddhav THACKERAY isolate him ???
Sanjay Raut is getting too big for his boots. If Raj Thackeray couldn’t stand up to Bala Saheb’s son Uddhav, because of millions of Shiv Sainiks’ affection and respect for Bala Saheb, then who is this man Sanjay Raut in front of him? Raj T at least had some charisma of his own so he has managed to find a foothold in public life, Mr Sanjay R will vanish from public memory with a shocking swiftness that will leave him and his immediate family dazzled beyond words.