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Shiv Sena puts up posters against rising fuel prices, then stays away from Bharat bandh

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Shiv Sena also criticised BJP over rising fuel prices in the Saamana but political analysts say that can’t be an alternative to hitting the street. 

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena may have put up posters across Mumbai targeting its bitter ally the BJP over rising fuel prices, but it decided to stay away from Monday’s country-wide bandh called by the Congress and other opposition parties on the issue.

In its party mouthpiece Saamana, published Monday, the Sena severely criticised the BJP over rising inflation and fuel prices. The same morning, however, while opposition parties were protesting on the streets over the issue, party chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis released a special postal stamp at the Siddhivinayak temple.

Officially, the Shiv Sena has said it has constantly borne the weight of an opposition party despite being in the government and wants to give the real opposition a chance to test its strength. But political analysts as well as party leaders say there is more to it.

The party’s decision to stay away from the bandh shows a soft political approach towards the BJP and also stems from the Sena’s need to project itself as a power centre within itself, said analysts.

‘Sena’s position misleading’

“Shiv Sena’s position is misleading and confusing for its followers as well as the people. It sends a political message that there is some kind of a soft approach towards the BJP,” said Surendra Jondhale, political commentator.

He argued the Shiv Sena does not want to be seen joining the opposition bandwagon, but it was politically important for the party to take a firm stand regarding Monday’s bandh.

“The Shiv Sena has been very critical of the BJP’s functioning and rule in Maharashtra and has raised the issue of rising fuel prices,” he said.


Also read: Modi govt has crossed the limit, Opposition must shed differences & unite: Manmohan Singh


“This is an issue-based bandh and it will be very difficult for the Shiv Sena to carve its own opposition political space if it does not come out against the BJP on such issue-based protests,” said Jondhale.

Deepak Pawar, assistant professor at Mumbai University’s department of civics and politics, said criticising through the Saamana has become the new narrative of Sena’s opposition to the BJP, but in the long run it will backfire.

“You cannot criticise through Saamana as an alternative to coming out on the street. How many non-Shiv Sena followers actually read their mouthpiece,” asked Pawar.

“The Shiv Sena has taken it to an illogical extreme. In the cabinet, you are in sync with the government, but in the media you are against it.”


Also read: 58 Congress activists detained for forcibly enforcing Bharat Bandh in Ranchi: Police


Pawar said the party has still not been able to gauge if the political atmosphere will be pro or anti-Narendra Modi closer to the 2019 polls.

Opposition didn’t take Sena into confidence, say party leaders

In the Saamana editorial, the Shiv Sena said, “Till today, we have been the ones to bear the weight of an opposition party. Now we want to see the strength of the opposition parties.”

Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik, however, said the party cares about the issue and would have considered supporting the bandh if the opposition parties had given the Sena its due and taken it into confidence.

“Shiv Sena is at the second place in Maharashtra. The Congress and the NCP are at the third and fourth place. In such a scenario, if the parties that are at the third and fourth place wanted to call a bandh, they should have taken our leadership into confidence, discussed it with us as to how to plan a bandh in Maharashtra, how to implement it and so on,” Sarnaik said.

“Instead, they just announced the bandh through the media and appealed to all parties to join them. If Shiv Sena wants, it can implement a bandh in the entire state on its own strength,” he said.

Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut said the party does not need to drag itself behind the Congress.

“The Shiv Sena is politically strong and it is Congress that is having bad days. Also, we don’t want to send a message that we support the Congress on this issue because the Congress’ record in the government is not great either,” Raut said.

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1 COMMENT

  1. It used to take one phone call from Balasaheb to shut down Bombay. Not easy to organise a successful bandh in the city without the Shiv Sena.

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