Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Sunday visited Ayodhya with his son, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, and the party’s 18 newly-elected MPs to reiterate his party’s commitment to building the Ram temple.
This was Thackeray’s second visit to Ayodhya within a year, the first being in November, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While the visit may not have any immediate political benefit for the Shiv Sena, the optics helps the party send several messages at once.
Sena shows ‘stronger commitment to Hindutva than BJP’
Thackeray addressed a press conference in Ayodhya, saying the demand for a Ram temple in Ayodhya isn’t one for any political gains. Yet, the visit was well advertised to the media with the dates and the itinerary while senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, visited Uttar Pradesh ahead of Thackeray’s arrival.
Raut raised the profile of the event by holding a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and even tweeted about it.
जय श्रीराम!
शिवसेना पक्ष प्रमुख ऊदधव ठाकरे 8.30 बजे फैजाबाद में
लँड होंगे.
10 बजे अयोध्या.
प्रभू श्रीराम दर्शन. सभी विजयी सांसदो के साथ.
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 16, 2019
The party said Shiv Sena MPs were in Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram before the inaugural Lok Sabha session Monday. The visit followed by Thackeray’s press conference in Ayodhya made national headlines. It helped the Shiv Sena show that it may be in an alliance with the BJP, but it is more committed to the Hindutva agenda than any other party.
“For the Shiv Sena, the Hindutva agenda began with the Ram temple issue. Balasaheb Thackeray entered in an alliance with the BJP over it. So Hindutva has always been an issue for the Shiv Sena, it is just that it is more strongly emphasised now,” a party MLA said.
“Going to Ayodhya after the elections shows that it was not for any political benefit and that while it may be a poll issue for other parties such as the BJP, the Shiv Sena is ideologically more committed.”
Helps party reiterate ‘people first, government later’ narrative
At the press conference in Ayodhya, Thackeray demanded that the Modi government issue an ordinance for the Ram temple, knowing fully well that the matter is in the Supreme Court, which has given a mediation panel time till August to find an amicable solution.
The Shiv Sena consistently, bitterly criticised the Narendra Modi-led government in its first term over its policies despite being a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
There was a clear power tussle and rumblings between the two parties but the Sena would defend its criticism of its own government saying it is first accountable to people, then the government, and can take on the latter in the interest of the former.
Going to Ayodhya and repeating its demand for the speedy construction of a Ram temple, while saying it is the sentiment of every Hindu in the country, helps the Shiv Sena show that while all is well within the alliance, the party has not changed its stance. The party will continue to hold the government accountable.
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National relevance
Since the early days of the alliance in 1989, the BJP and Shiv Sena have always had an unspoken understanding that the Sena will hold the fort in Maharashtra, while the BJP will expand nationally.
The BJP, however, has made aggressive strides at expanding in Maharashtra and has now overtaken the Sena in the state in terms of its elected representatives. The Shiv Sena has now begun making concerted attempts to make itself more significant nationally.
Even now, despite the BJP and Shiv Sena having decided to contest the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections together, there are silent rumblings over sharing of the CM’s post.
While the Ram Mandir issue may not hold much capital for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly election, emphasising on it now may help catapult the Shiv Sena to having a more national character than a regional one.
Also read: When Shiv Sena’s Aditya Thackeray told Gurmehar Kaur he is a feminist