Congress balm relieves Shiv Sena from CAA headache

Contrary to expectations of certain parties that the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government would see a serious friction between the Shiv Sena and the Congress over passing a resolution against the CAA MVA head Uddhav Thackeray and the national party leadership have reached a compromise that would not unsettle the threeparty formation anytime soon over ideological differencesGiving Uddhav great relief the Congress said that it would not push him to get an antiCAA resolution passed in the state legislature obviously with an intention of peacekeeping when the BJP stands with the Raj Thackerayled MNS which is leading the charge against Uddhavs alleged departure from hardline HindutvaThe Congressled Punjab Rajasthan Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have already passed antiCAA resolutions Other nonBJP states Kerala and West Bengal have also joined the Congress governments in the protest Senior Maharashtra Congress leaders wanted the Sena to support the protest despite the party voting in favour of the CAA in the Parliament Uddhav has reiterated that the resolution was not needed because he would wait for the Supreme Courts verdict and he has also promised that Maharashtra would not implement the proposed NRC because it would also affect HindusThe MVA formulaUddhavs position is strategic he did not upset the BJP at the Centre but also demanded certain changes to the CAA which the home ministry did not accommodate The CM sees the NRC not coming anytime soon and that lag can buy him time in the MVA which is bound by a minimum common programme that allows the constituents to take positions suitable for their respective ideologies with an understanding that they dont prove detrimental to the formationWhile the MNS accused Sena of abandoning Hindutva and prepared itself for a massive morcha against illegal immigrants from Pakistan Bangladesh and Afghanistan the Sena stirred an annual HinduMuslim skirmish over Kalyans Malanggad where the two communities have staked claim to the deity since 1982 Along with Sena the workers of 16 rightwing bodies such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal led the agitation under the leadership of senior minister Eknath ShindeThe Sena and MNS drawstrength from Kalyan and ThaneEnergy minister Nitin Raut was specific when he said There may be ideological differences between Sena and CongressNCP but a minimum common programme that runs our government does not include the CAA So the Congress will not be pressing for a resolution in the cabinet or in the legislatureThe development might not augur well for the Congress leaders who want the Sena to oppose the law These leaders belong to a section which isnt part of the government and are often seen endangering the longevity of the MVA by making politically incorrect statements and maneuvers The Congress leaders in the government and partys majority MLAs want to reap the fruits of power Primarily these are the leaders and MLAs who revolted when the Congress high command was unwilling to go with the SenaWhile Uddhav and his Congress colleagues in the MVA have managed to convince the Congress high command the NCP proved smarter in staying away from the SenaCongress tussle Instead it has been taking more interest in the matters of governance DCM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar seems racing against the time in taking decisions and reviewing policies which in fact is the CMs job The Congress is lagging way behind its partners because even the most experienced ministers havent shown a spark in the matters of governance and outreach with peoplefriendly decisionsAnother challengeEven as bickering and infighting within the Congress are far from over the limping party is faced with an additional challenge of keeping pace with the aggressive NCP which bends the Sena its way It seems that the Congress hasnt stopped grieving over the relegation and not realised yet that it can make theMVA foundation stronger or break it into piecesIf willing the Congress could work wonders and extend the benefit to its vote bloc But we do not see that happening when the mighty individuals in the Congress dont think of the party as their ailing parents and the masses as their own childrenIn 70 days of his government Uddhav has juggled his new career with raising an infant MVA of course with valuable tips from Sharad Pawar The CM has spent a lot of time explaining the unexpected breakup with the BJP and justifying his new friends But the situation wherein he must speak Hindutva doesnt seem to change in the years to comeDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates