New Flag, New Face in Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

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January 23, 2020

Amidst the ongoing speculation about Raj Thackeray-led party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) about its new flag and new face, they were finally revealed on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bal Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena.

The party launched Amit Thackeray into full fledged mainstream politics and also unveiled the new party flag on Thursday morning at NESCO Ground in Goregaon. The flag was unveiled by Raj Thackeray in the presence of thousands of party workers. Senior leader of MNS, Bala Nandgaonkar announced Amit’s entry into mainstream politics.

The new flag that is saffron in colour has ‘Raj Mudra’ that was used during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s rule. The flag of the party is completely different from the old one as the same had blue, green and saffron bands and bore the image of an engine. And with the change in the party flag, it seems that the party is drifting towards the Hindutva ideology.

On the occasion, a statue of Shivaji was displayed at an MNS state executive meeting and also one of the images displayed next to it was of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar along with the photographs of B.R. Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule and Prabodhankar Thackeray.

Earlier, there have been speculations of an alliance between MNS and Bharatiya Janata Party as the former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met MNS chief in a Mumbai hotel. However, later both the parties denied about the same.

“Chhapaak”: A true story of Laxmi an acid attack survivor

By

Vinod Dixit

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January 23, 2020

India has made international headlines for horrific rape cases in recent years, but acid attacks are common, too, although they receive less attention. Laxmi Agarwal India’s best-known acid attack survivor life’s story has now been depicted in the Bollywood movie ‘Chhapaak’ starring Deepika Padukone, who has worn prosthetics to replicate the damage to Agarwal’s skin. Laxmi’s struggle and come back from a life-threatening attack is a message for many such victims that acid attack isn’t end of anyone’s life or dream and one should never give up. The Chhapaak movie is not only about Laxmi but about acid attack survivors’ cause, as each one has her own story of pain and struggles in life. Chhapaak’ is the story of Laxmi who fights society and rises above her battles. Based on real-life incidents, the movie is about the act of violence, which destroys the life of victims, both physically and mentally and takes away their right to life. Today, Laxmi has led the cause of acid attacks on women and has become a role model for other survivors.

She was only 15-years-old when a man had thrown acid on her face in 2005. Laxmi was on her way from her music class when a man who was twice of her age threw acid on her for rejecting his advances. The incident led her face and other body parts disfigured. Although she received treatment on time, in a span of 10 years, she went through many surgeries, which almost affected her mental health. But with her courage and determination, Laxmi took up life’s challenge and managed to stand back on her feet. Laxmi deserves kudos for receiving International Woman of Courage award from Michelle Obama, US in 2014. She is the first lady to have named NDTV Indian of the Year. She also has founded an NGO, Chhanv Foundation, which aims to help the survivors of acid attacks.

Acid attack is not something unheard of in India. Acid is still sold openly in some parts of India, and it is easily available to the offenders and the victims like Laxmi Agarwal are to fight the assaults. There are 250 to 300 acid attacks reported in India every year, despite laws restricting the sale of acid or other deadly chemicals, according to Stop Acid Attacks, a non-profit group. It has shocked the conscience of our nation again and again – with mutilated faces, unbeaten survivors coming to the frontlines to share their horrific stories, and families driven to bankruptcy supporting recovery costs.

Because acid attack is possibly the worst infliction on another human – leading to complete debilitation, loss of income and opportunity, and even social sequestration- and it can happen to anyone, at any time. The means to this evil remain quite accessible to most and the causes provoking such malice can be unimaginably trivial. Acid attacks destroy a family completely, and the victim has to undergo at least 80 reconstruction operations.

The rising number of acid attack cases clearly shows India’s inability to grapple with this heinous crime. Cases continue unabated in various parts of the country, showing the pan-Indian character of this form of assault. India has the highest number of acid attacks in the world, but the worst conviction rates. Women have had acid thrown at them for not bringing enough dowry, for bearing a female child and for not cooking a good enough meal. One thing is clear that acid attacks will continue if the country does not treat the attackers more harshly and the victims more generously.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 23 January, 2020

By

Web Team

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January 23, 2020

1Row over birth place of Sai Baba

India now already seized with so many religious conflicts, courtesy pseudo-secular policies of long Congress regime for decades, is not in a position to bear more such controversies like now developed in Maharashtra Chief Minister announcing rupees 100-crore package for developing village Pathri as birth-place of Sai Baba that too when there have been too many theories about parents and birth-place of Sai Baba. Such unthoughtful announcement made Maharashtra Chief Minister to take a U-turn on the issue because of protests of Shirdi people.

There is no confirmation or firm religious faith about Pathri to be birth-place of Sai Baba unlike Ayodhya where there are no two opinions about the city being definitely birth-place of Lord Rama. Script-writers for speeches of President of India should also be careful in future because President in September 2017 mentioned Pathri to be birth-place of Sai Baba.

Madhu Agrawal

2Reading preamble in schools creates a sense of unity

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray making it mandatory for every school to begin the day by reading the Preamble to the constitution as well as singing the National Anthem should not be politicized but taken positively as it creates an sense of unity as well as nationality. Some may argue that it is to woo the supporters of Ambedkar who is the father of the Constitution or pleasing the Congress as the Preamble was penned by Jawaharlal Nehru who was the first Prime Minister of the country but we must look at the bigger picture of nationalism and unity which we must introduce to our children from an young age.

India has a rich history and culture that must be respected. Politicians will come and go and ruling parties at Centre will change but the communal fabric of our country should never be torn and we must be united come what may. Politicians sadly play dirty politics for votes but citizens should be united and be the judge for what is good for the country. Anything that unites the citizen of the country should be appreciated be it the singing of the National Anthem in cinema halls and school or reading the Preamble in school when the classes starts.

S.N.Kabra

3MK Gandhi was not the only personality much higher than Bharat Ratna

It refers to Public Interest Litigation demanding Bharat Ratna for MK Gandhi wherein a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India commented that MK Gandhi was a personality much higher than Bharat Ratna. Such comments can be personal views of any member of public including judges of Supreme Court. But such comments should have been avoided being part of judicial proceedings because there are two schools of thoughts in this regard. While one school of thought recognises MK Gandhi as hero for independence of India through non-violence. But there is another school of thought which considers Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as the terror-force compelling Britishers to leave India through his Azad Hind Fauj. It is noteworthy that no Congress leader including MK Gandhi ever provided any legal help to great selfless Indian martyrs for freedom like including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru etc to save them from being hanged by the then British rulers.

MK Gandhi misused his veto-power to undemocratically crown Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as first Prime Minister of the country, snatching the right of well-deserving Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the post. Future happenings prove that policies of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru especially on Kashmir were disastrous costing nation heavily on defence of the country.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

4EC should accept online nomination process

The Election Commission of India is accepting physical submission of nomination papers and withdrawal applications for both Assembly and General Elections. As technology now has outpaced the need for many paper based formalities, it is ironical that the ECI still adopts archaic paper-trail based system to accept nomination papers from the candidates. Hence even the candidates find it frustrating to file nomination papers physically while an online process will otherwise make it easy for them.

The process of submitting nomination papers under the physical presence of a returning officer may thus be replaced by a simple online nomination paper submission and further due verification/scrutinizing of online forms. The move helps to avoid the needless pomp and splendor of a candidate’s charisma displayed prior to filing a nomination and much before the polls itself. The voters on the other hand will be relived of the unnecessary hassles one has to face owing to such a grandeur including frustrating traffic chaos.

Varun Dambal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

No more 45 rides restriction: Unlimited metro rides on monthly pass from today

By

Hema Singh

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January 23, 2020

In a good news for commuters of Mumbai Metro, the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) has declared that by upgrading their monthly 45-trip passes by spending more Rs 25 from January 23, commuters can enjoy unlimited travel. Reportedly, a monthly pass that costs Rs 1,375 for a journey between Versova-Andheri will have to pay Rs 1,400. Earlier, there used to be a 45-ride restriction on monthly passes but now that has been taken off.

This scheme of the metro will benefit those who make multiple trips that involve breaking their journey. Regarding this an MMOPL official said, “We will launch a new product in the form of monthly pass from January 23 which will allow commuters to take unlimited rides during the validity period of the pass. However, the pass will not be transferable.”

Earlier from Andheri to Saki Naka that accounted for 45 trips a a monthly pass used to cost Rs 775 but the unlimited trip will cost 800 whereas a pass between Ghatkopar to Andheri that used to cost Rs. 1100 will now cost Rs. 1125.

Maharashtra schools to recite Preamble of Constitution from January 26

By

Afternoon Voice

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January 22, 2020

The Maharashtra School Education Minister has declared that the school children across Maharashtra will have to compulsorily recite the preamble of the Constitution during their morning assemblies from January 26.

A state government circular held that reading of the preamble is part of the “sovereignty of Constitution, welfare of all” campaign and will be implemented from Republic Day. A government resolution in this regard was issued in February 2013 when the Congress-NCP government was in power. As per the circular dated January 21, 2020, it was not implemented then.

“Students will recite the preamble of the Constitution every day after morning prayers so that they understand its importance. It is a resolution of an old government but we will implement from January 26,” the minister who belongs to the Congress told the media.

The move to make students read out the preamble of the Constitution comes at a time when large scale protests are being held against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well as the National Register of Citizens. The Congress is one of the constituents in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government along with the NCP. Many Congress leaders have said that the “unconstitutional” law will not be allowed in Maharashtra.

Incidentally, people protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have taken to reading the preamble at the time of demonstrations to highlight how it terms the country as secular while speaking out against discrimination. Bhim Army chief, Chandrashekhar Azad who has been released on bail after spending over a month in prison even claimed that he was arrested in January for no reason other than reading out the preamble.

For the first time, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries get citizenship if they fled to India because of religious persecution before 2015. Critics say that it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the Constitution.

Sarvabhaumatva Samvidhanache, Janhit Sarvanche” (Sovereignty of the Constitution, Welfare of All)

By

Vaidehi Taman

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January 22, 2020

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution declares: “We, the People of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Socialist and Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens. The Maharashtra government has made it compulsory to recite the preamble of the Constitution in all schools starting January 26. A government resolution states that the objective is to instill values such as justice, freedom and equality enshrined in the Constitution. A similar resolution had been issued in 2013 by the then Congress-NCP government. The preamble is a brief introductory statement that sets out guidelines that guides the people of the nation and presents the principles of the Constitution and indicates the source from which the document derives its authority and meaning. The hopes and aspirations of the people are described in it. The preamble can be referred to as the preface that highlights the entire Constitution. It was adopted on 26 November 1949 by the Constituent Assembly and came into effect on 26 January 1950 celebrated as the Republic day in India. It is customary for a Constitution to have a preamble, but is not compulsory. The Govt. of India Act, 1935 did not have a preamble. It is a summary and essence of the whole Constitution. It is the prelude of the Constitution.

In a nut-shell, it tells what the Constitution is all about. In the era where most of the people are clueless about the Constitution and there are many misuses of the same reciting preamble keeps them updated of their rights as citizens, it reminds them of their duties. To understand the scope of their constitutional values and their all-inclusiveness and instill values such as justice, freedom, equality and fraternity on the society, it is important that students have a comprehensive introduction to the Constitution…The young minds of this age will thus become responsible, cultured citizens. It is expected that this starts from the school-going age and that is why every day, during the morning routine, there should be collective reading of the preamble and a government resolution is already in place for it from 2013. It has now been noticed that the decision is not being implemented. Therefore, under an initiative titled “Sarvabhaumatva Samvidhanache, Janhit Sarvanche” (Sovereignty of the Constitution, Welfare of All), all primary and secondary schools must undertake collective reciting of the preamble every day. The Maharashtra government will also be making Marathi language compulsory in all Maharashtra schools. A law to this effect will be brought in the next session of Assembly.

The Constitution is nothing but an elaboration of the preamble. The preamble is itself a most important part of the Constitution. Effectively, ideology can be found under one-page preamble which describes the actual motive of the set of rules in the document. To ascertain the supreme authority of our Constitution, the words we the people, sovereign it means India has no other external power to rule, and the people of India are the sole power. Almost all of it barring the injunctions are indeed important. The preamble of the Indian Constitution serves as its identity card. It lays out what our Constitution is trying to achieve. It is largely based on the Nehru’s objective resolution passed on the first meeting to draft the Indian Constitution. It reflects the philosophy and the ideology of the Indian Constitution. It tells the people of India what the framers had in their minds while making the biggest Constitution of the world.

The amendments to the Constitution have been debated and adored; added and subtracted. So, let us take a moment to appreciate and learn from the 52 uplifting and permanent words of the preamble. The Constitution being no ordinary document but the ultimate law of the land, it required an introduction so that every person before reading the other provisions may keep in mind what are the objectives and aims of the Constitution and what it is expecting from the people. It also reflects the vision of the Constitution makers. Well, if it was not included in the Constitution probably we would have been still searching for the true meaning of the Constitution. Although the preamble is used as an interpretation tool sparingly as the articles of the Constitution have more authority than the Constitution, nonetheless it is a valuable part of the Constitution. The preamble secures to every citizen, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It provides social, economic and political justice. It secures liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. It provides equality of status and opportunity. It assures the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation. The preamble of the Constitution is quite relevant for the interpretation of the Constitution. This question was raised for the first time before the Supreme Court in the historic case of Keshavanand Bharti vs. State of Kerala. In this case, the Attorney General of India argued that by virtue of its amending power in Article 368, even the preamble of the Constitution could be amended. The petitioners however contended that the amending power under Article 368 is limited. The preamble creates an implied limitation on the power of amendment. The preamble contains the basic elements or the fundamental features of our Constitution. Consequently, amending power cannot be used so as to destroy or damage these basic features mentioned in the preamble.

It was argued that the preamble cannot be amended as it was not a part of the Constitution. The Supreme Court held that the preamble is part of the Constitution. The majority view of the Supreme Court was that although the preamble is part of the Constitution, it could be amended but subject to the condition that “the basic features” in the preamble could not be amended. The Court held, “The edifice of our Constitution is based upon the basic elements mentioned in the Preamble. If any of these elements are removed, the structure will not survive and it will not maintain its identity. The preamble declares that the people of India have resolved to constitute their country into a Sovereign Democratic Republic. No one can suggest that these words and expressions are ambiguous in any manner. The amending power would be interpreted so as to confer power on the Parliament to take away any of these fundamental and basic characteristics of our Constitution. The amending power cannot change the Constitution in such a way that it ceases to be a Sovereign Democratic Republic.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Don’t tinker with five day test format-Part II

By

C K Subramaniam

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January 22, 2020

Test Match, test cricket match, india test match, australia cricket match, opinion cricket, cricket opinion, live test match, C K Subramaniam, diary, wankhede stadium, test cricket matches — India vs England (Reuters image)

The old timers were not facing tight playing schedule and felt that there is no need of restricting it to four day test matches. But present day set of players feel the pinch and they are being rested for less important series to provide them rest and recuperation. It provides players to recover from injuries as well.

Four days versus five is a false debate. The spinner will be denied a fifth-day wicket which seems like part a conspiracy to drive him out of the game. That alone should ensure the proposal is thrown out of the window when the ICC’s Cricket Committee sits down to discuss it. In any case, bilateral Tests can be played over four days, as South Africa have done against Zimbabwe, or England against Ireland. It would be interesting to see if England and Australia play an Ashes Test over four days. Test cricket is a peculiar sport, and its charm lies in its peculiarity. Part of this lies in its duration, in the fact that teams take break for tea, and in the manner it is a series of individual contests within the framework of an overall contest. No other team sport has such sustained individual competition within itself.

From a purist’s point of view and being an admirer of Test cricket, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar thought it should not be tinkered with. The format has to be played in the way it has been played for so many years in the conventional form. A day less, according to the world’s highest run-getter across two formats, will lead to batsmen thinking of Tests as an extended version of limited-overs cricket.

Many Tests end on the fourth day because there is a fifth day available. This is not as mystifying as it sounds. The extra day calls for changes in the approach. The fifth day’s 90 overs is not merely mathematical, it is psychological. The richness of the game reveals itself, as does the character of the players. The last hour 15 overs were the most interesting those days and play used to commence 30 minutes early to provide sufficient time to bowl mandatory overs in the fading light. Now with 90 overs permitted in a day, the question of mandatory overs does not arise. Holding on to a five days format is the best option. This might be a romantic view, but what is sport without romance? Interestingly, players are in favour of five days. And fans have no complaints. There lies the answer in affirmative.

Also Read: Don’t tinker with five day test format-Part I

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 22 January, 2020

By

Web Team

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January 22, 2020

1Marathon is not for a city like Mumbai which is humid and polluted

Yet another runner collapsed and died at Sunday’s run sponsored by the Tata group and two others battling for their life in the ICU’s of a city hospital. I distinctly remember my friend collapsing in the 2014 edition when 38-year old Amit Kasat who was so very passionate about running marathons that he died in tragic circumstances after collapsing near to the finish line.

Running long distance like a marathon should be done after undergoing strenuous training and a proper diet. Organisers too should put stringent conditions like mandatory health checks before the race to avoid deaths which has become fairly routine in the annual Mumbai marathon which has gained popularity over the years. Medical facilities of top quality need to be pressed into service on the day of the run when organisers charge a lot of fee for the race.

S.N.Kabra

2Gas leak at resort claims eight lives

In a shocking tragedy eight Indian tourists from Kerala, including four children, died on Tuesday due to a possible gas leak from a room heater in their room at a resort in Daman in Makwanpur district of Nepal. They were part of a 17-member tourist group who had checked into Everest Panorama resort at Daman, a popular tourist destination in Nepal. According to the SP of District Police Office, Makwanpur the tourists turned on the gas heater in the room and later got suffocated due to some defect in the device leading to carbon monoxide leak resulting in death.

The group — travelling to Pokhara from Kerala — were returning home. On the way, they had stopped at Everest Panorama Resort in Daman. The guests on reaching their room turned on a gas heater to keep themselves warm. The room had poor ventilation as all the windows were shut in the winter night. Hotels and homes in places experiencing very cold weather use heaters to keep the temperature warm and the most common devices to heat the rooms are gas heaters.

Gas heaters that are not installed correctly or has become faulty over time can cause a carbon monoxide leak. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when the heat exchanger is cracked inside the heater. It is important to have gas heaters serviced regularly.

As Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas it becomes difficult to detect for people who are not familiar with such occurrences. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide leads to severe health problems and most often results in death. To prevent this hazard hotels and homes should inspect and rectify such appliances regularly. Hi tech sensors and other devices should be installed to detect and warn the people if there is any leakage.
Hotels located in cold weather places should caution the visitors of such hazards and give instructions . Also tourists staying in hotels in cold places should be aware of such silent dangers.

M Pradyu

3Faulty legal loopholes responsible for delay in hanging of Nirbhaya convicts

It is wrong to play politics on regular postponement of hanging of convicts of infamous rape-cum-murder of Nirbhaya on December 16, 2012. Fault lies in system allowing too many loopholes whereby convicts get liberal opportunities to defer death-sentence. All the four convicts have no fear of death as they are still clever enough to misuse delaying-tactics to defer hanging. It is for certain that hanging to convicts will not even be possible on the third postponed date of February 1, 20 because rest of the three convicts will now file mercy-petitions one by one. It is surprising that how and why mercy-petitions of these convicts are being entertained now when they were informed by Jail Superintendent of Tihar Jail (Delhi) on December 29, 2019 that only seven days were then left to file mercy-petitions.

System should be reformed whereby crimes attracting death-penalty may be heard on fast track during all stages of trial from District Court to Supreme Court. Provision of filing mercy-petition may not be there in case death-sentence is confirmed by all the courts. Review or curative petitions may be allowed only at Supreme Court that too to be finally decided within fortnight of filing these. Mercy-petition to be decided in a time-bound period of maximum three months may be allowed only when any of the court might not have approved death-sentence.

Early and extra hangings that too to really deserving ones will practically save lives of many more by preventing rapes and murders as criminals will then only be fearful against death-penalty.

Madhu Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

1 killed, two injured in blast at Badlapur Chemical factory

By

Hema Singh

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January 22, 2020

After an explosion and a subsequent fire broke out in an industrial unit in a Chemical factory in MIDC, Badlapur this morning, one person was killed while two others sustained serious injuries. According to a fire official, the incident took place at around 9 am in a dryer of Kajay Remedies Pvt Ltd that happens to be manufacturers and exporters of chemical products.

The officer said there were many other employees working in the morning shift when the explosion took place. The injured persons were immediately rushed to the Dhanvantari Hospital. The cause of the blast is not yet known, further information is underway.

A new chapter about to begin in Maharashtra politics- MNS and BJP

By

Vaidehi Taman

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January 21, 2020

Devendra Fadnavis meeting Raj Thackeray created many speculations in the corridors of Maharashtra politics. After Shiv Sena joining hands with the NCP and the Congress, it was expected that Raj Thackeray could lead a new role. For the last few years, MNS has lost political ground in Maharashtra. In the last Assembly Election 2019, the party led by Raj Thackeray has won just one seat and 2.3 per cent vote share. Moreover, Uddhav has comprised his Hindutva line by joining hands with secular ideologies. This is a good opportunity for Raj Thackeray to make a passage closer to the Hindutva dogma. Shiv Sena is facing criticism after forming the government with mismatched or unparalleled ideological parties like Congress and NCP. BJP also needed a quick replacement in place of Shiv Sena. After forming the alliance with Raj Thackeray, BJP would be able to spread a message to unsatisfied Shiv Saniks that the other Thackeray is going to stand by what the Supremo has uttered all this while. By this, the selection of Uddhav Thackeray as a legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray’s would be proven wrong.

There is already a whisper that Uddhav Thackeray has shown disloyalty to the founder of Shiv Sena. Most probably on 23rd January 2020 on the birth anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray, Raj Thackeray will announce a tie-up with BJP. On the same day, the party is expected to unveil its new identity a saffron flag that will feature Maratha king Shivaji’s seal. Thus the old flag of the MNS will be replaced. The ‘Marathi Manoos’ issue will no longer be the ideology of Raj Thackeray now. It means that Raj Thackeray will adopt a liberal policy for all. It is also expected that in the coming future, BJP and MNS will jointly contest the local body elections in Maharashtra. After the alliance between BJP and MNS, both will be benefitted either in respect of vote share or for giving a tough challenge to Shiv Sena. So, keeping a view for better prospects, Devendra Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray met and decided to go together.

Uddhav’s arrogance and ego have hurt many of his close confidants. He doesn’t know when to go strong against his partner and when to compromise. His hawkish attitude with the strong support from Sanjay Raut put to rout his party. Uddhav, of late, has been depending more on Sanjay Raut for political advice. He himself is snooty who cannot negotiate but stick to his views only, can never become a successful political advisor. Additionally, Sharad Pawar who was waiting for an opportunity to fulfill the promises made to Balasaheb in bringing back Shiv Sena to power. In 2014, Pawar rendered support to BJP and Modi but as 2019 approached, he successfully revived the NCP and got a huge number of seats. Before 2014 elections, Raj Thackeray was talking about an alliance with the BJP and the Shiv Sena. He had even said that the MNS would support Modi as the PM. Now he’s rubbing shoulders with Modi’s protagonists. He then supported Sharad Pawar. Raj Thackeray said he would fight the Lok Sabha elections. Then at the last moment, he backed out. Then he said he would fight the Vidhan Sabha elections. At the last moment, he backed out (again). Later he said he would ally with the Shiv Sena. Then he backed out. He said he had a “blueprint” to develop Maharashtra. When MNS finally won the Nagpur municipal elections, the blueprint vanished. Nagpur should have been a model for him to build on. But he didn’t pay any attention there. MNS is eight years old and it is heavily centralised. There is nobody apart from Raj Thackeray who can take decisions in the party.

MNS projected an image of anti-North Indians but then called Muslims and neo-Buddhists towards itself. This alienated the majority Hindu vote bank which still believes in the caste system and is anti-Muslim. His party’s flag has blue at the top. He’s saying it outright that he wants neo-Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Neo-Buddhists don’t vote for him because that small blue strip is very tiny. Hindus don’t vote for him because the blue strip is over and above the saffron. Muslims in general are less territorial but even those who are seeing that green at the bottom. There are going to be only two main parties at the centre. If he chooses NDA, he will lose his Muslim vote bank. He should decide if his Muslim support means a lot to him or if he can make do with most of them.

If he chooses UPA in the current scenario, it will not benefit him. The third option for him is to go to South India and try to find allies in other regional parties and try to make the ticket to the Centre. This will also not work. Regional parties are not strong enough to make him enter the Centre. There are some practical aspects of politics without which a party cannot come to power. Now, most of the strong opposition parties have aligned with Shiv Sena by rejecting the BJP. Therefore, BJP has no obligation to support Sena anymore. Raj Thackeray is a political arch enemy of Uddhav Thackeray. He is popular with Maharashtrians. He can give a tough fight to the Shiv Sena. Now he has been marginalised by Shiv Sena. So, it is natural that BJP and Raj Thackeray will talk with each other under new circumstances. It will be beneficial to both the parties politically.

After MNS was formed in 2006, the Shiv Sena unit of Nashik joined him. Within 6 years, he won the municipal polls. He promised to visit Nashik every month and transform it into an ideal city. Had he done that, he could have showcased it as a model city and used it to broaden his base in the highly urbanised Maharashtra but that never happened. He hardly visited Nashik. After singing praisess for Narendra Modi, Raj Thackeray was in two minds about whether to fight the 2014 general elections or not till the very end. Finally, he fought against the Modi wave and lost deposits in all places! This was the beginning of the fall of his party. Raj couldn’t stop it when he faced the Assembly elections that happened just five months ago. MNS won only one seat in Pune district. By now, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena that was wiped out of Maharashtra, can work wonders by joining hands with the BJP.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)