An uncomfortable marriage between BJP and Shiv Sena

Nothing has more binding power than power The Shiv Sena can vouch for this as it has decided to continue in the BJPled government in the state despite having so many issues with the ruling partner We heard Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray assuring the people that the government will run as long as his party holds ministersrsquo offices in Mantralaya Uddhavrsquos Dussehra speech wasnrsquot just about the commitment to stay in the government but was more about making mischief for the BJPUddhav ThackerayWe know he lacks Bal Thackerayrsquos pyrotechnics but Uddhavrsquos Shivaji Park show last week was one of his best political deliveries so far He had unexpected aggression on display and gave his people robust hope Uddhavrsquos gentle ways changed as he dished out plenty of threats to the BJP It looked as if the Sena mdash which had sat in opposition for a month against the BJP last year before joining the government mdash had once again taken up the role of the oppositionUddhavrsquos clarion call for hoisting the Senarsquos saffron flag atop Mantralaya has never been so desperate He left no stone unturned with his limited power of words What has changed in the year since the Assembly polls to prompt Uddhav mdash who wasnrsquot as intense when he fought the BJP during the polls mdash to now gun for the allyIt is the massive mandate that the BJP won last year especially in Maharashtra that has Uddhav worried It had to have pinched worse when he lost his bargaining power and joined the government without any great returns One year in the government hasnrsquot landed the Sena much but has only added to its woes The BJP has used power at its disposal to cut the Sena to size wherever and whenever possible Now the municipal polls in KalyanDombivli and small towns in the neighbourhood have the BJP and Sena pitted against each other The BJP clearly enjoys an edge over the Sena because of crucial departments that it has assured to put in service for the development of these townsWhat should really worry Uddhav is the BJPrsquos covert designs to render the Sena powerless finishing the party in the statersquos political scene The BJP initially a small coalition partner in many other states has successfully sent its major allies to the dumping yards In Maharashtra too the BJP seems to be moving on the right track rubbing the Sena the wrong way mdash be it in the government or outside it Naturally this situation demands that Uddhav react by treating BJP as the Senarsquos lsquoEnemy Number Onersquo Last year he lost the race to the BJP in the Assembly polls He cannot afford lethargy any longer especially when the Mumbai civic polls are just 15 months away These polls are equally important for the two ruling partiesAs expected this Dussehra Uddhav turned the Sainiksrsquo attention towards issues where he believes the Sena could do better than the BJP He played the Marathi card hard and then harped on about the Hindutva sentiment that the Sainiks love to wear on their sleeves He tried to unmask the BJPrsquos RSSsponsored Hindutva as nothing but an unfulfilled promise of building a temple at Ayodhya His sole intention was to tell the people how the BJP has failed to deliver the Ram Temple mdash a promise that had helped the BJP to win power in New Delhi in the rsquo90s much before Narendra Modirsquos victory last year He dared the BJP to declare the country a Hindu nation if it was so concerned about cow slaughter He demanded the Uniform Civil Code across the nation and fanned antiMuslim sentimentsUddhav is expected to continue to treat the BJP in a similar fashion while the BJP is expected to ignore him as long as the government is safe Uddhav has clearly said that he will not bring the BJP government down because the public mandate wants the two parties to run the government together How long can this arrangement last Uddhav should knowThe writer is Political Editor of midday