Maharashtra political crisis: How Uddhav Thackeray lost his generals

Uddhav Thackeray. File pic

With his downfall from the Mantralaya throne, Uddhav Thackeray has come full circle, not exactly in the past position, but somewhat weaker than it was in 2019. His supporters may draw a parallel between Thackeray's story and the Shakespearean drama Julius Caesar, on how the Roman emperor was done in by his own.

Thackeray not only lost the crown, but a rank of powerful generals who he has accused of backstabbing him by collaborating with his political rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party, whom he had beaten to wrest the reins in a fashion that anti-BJP parties drew inspiration from. He hit the road with entirely different in character co-passengers - the Congress and the Nationalist Party.

Branding it an unholy alliance, the BJP consistently said it was bound to break sooner or later. The Maha Vikas Aghadi extended its life even as the BJP leaders repeatedly predicted the Thackeray government's exit, not because of them but because of the unrest within the MVA and Sena.

Like any Shakespearean drama, Thackeray's tenure kept the audience on tenterhooks, sometimes bored and most of the time excited, not just because of his performance but also because of his supporting cast and villain de piece, who kept changing even as an omnipresent BJP remained a constant threat. New adversaries emerged from among his rank and allies as plays within the play grabbed the limelight. For Thackeray and a select few the BJP was their prime opponent. At the end, the BJP ended being a close friend of his generals, for whom the NCP and Congress combine was the main villain.

Sena strongman Eknath Shinde, who headed the plum urban development department, sprang up with such a revolt that the party had never seen even before. His and the 38 others' grudge was that their party president-turned-CM was a puppet in the hands of the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharad Pawar to be more specific. If we were to put it in a classic way, then, Shinde group's rhetoric sounded like, "Our Nero played (a second) fiddle (to the NCP) as Shiv Sena burned…"

The BJP which believes and acts with a ‘never say never die' approach, had its sights set firmly on Shinde's resentment. Once bitten and twice shy, the BJP did not make an attempt on the NCP again, but infiltrated the Sena using various ways, and finally decamped with its valuable assets, the 39 elected representatives. Fence-sitters independent MLAs came along happily. The rest is history as Thackeray quit on the eve of a trust vote that was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

At times, Thackeray appeared a shrewd politician, tactical player and a speaker who played to the gallery, which the Congress and NCP supporters crowded. His balladeers elevated him to a position that they say could make him the prime minister one day. Balladeers did their job, but the real political ones, who claimed to be experts in knowing the pulse of the people within and outside, failed miserably in helping him see and assess potent threats he faced inside the party citadel. His forwards abandoned him; the defenders became weak as the assault intensified. The balladeers and guides ensured that he focused all his energies on verbally countering the BJP, instead of giving him insights into Sena party affairs that first went haywire and later were beyond control.

Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray resigns as Maharashtra CM, says he will rebuild Sena

What he is left now with is the sainiks on the streets, whom he banks on for reviving the party. "I sat in the CM's seat unexpectedly and I am going unexpectedly. I have never said I will come back again, hence I am also quitting as a member of the legislative council," he told the cadre in a social media address, but not before assuring them that he would act steadfast and more fiercely as the president of the party that will rise once again.

‘Backstabbed'

"Commenting on the current crisis, CM Thackeray said: ‘My own people have betrayed me, backstabbed me'," said Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil.

A minister, requesting anonymity, said that the CM thanked everyone for supporting him since he assumed the top office in the state, even though he had no administrative experience. He also sought pardon for wrongdoing, if any, on his part.