Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Sunday announced that Aaditya Thackeray, state environment minister and son of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, will visit Ayodhya on June 10, five days after his uncle and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s visit to the temple town.
Raj Thackeray has been stirring the Hindutva pot for the past one month, forcing the Sena to react. Ayodhya has now become the new battlefield for the two parties. Since Raj Thackeray’s public rally on April 2, the MNS chief has raked up the issues of loudspeakers at mosques and Hindutva to corner the Shiv Sena.
Though the Sena is calling the visit apolitical, it has planned a show of strength during Aaditya Thackeray’s visit. The party is also planning to expedite work on Maharashtra Bhavan in Ayodhya to accommodate devotees visiting the Ram temple.
“Aaditya Thackeray will go to Ayodhya on June 10. Thousands of Shiv Sainiks and Yuva Sena workers will accompany Aaditya to seek the blessings of Lord Ram,” Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said. “This is not a political programme, but a matter of faith and devotion towards Lord Ram,” he added.
As the tours of the two leaders are chalked out, the Sena put up a poster in Ayodhya, saying “beware of the fake one, the real one is arriving.” Raj Thackeray is slated to visit Ayodhya on June 5.
Raut said that he was unaware of the banners in Ayodhya. “It doesn’t matter who goes or who doesn’t (referring to Raj’s visit). Lord Ram is for everyone,” he said. “However, if one is going with fake emotions or for politics, then they don’t get Lord Ram’s blessings. Uddhav-ji has gone to Ayodhya twice and now Aaditya will be going. The preparations for our welcome have begun. The people of Uttar Pradesh know their politics so the people will decide who is fake or real.”
Raj Thackeray in his three rallies — held at Shivaji Park, Thane and Aurangabad — aggressively opposed the loudspeakers atop mosques. He also threatened to broadcast the Hanuman Chalisa at twice the volume outside mosques.
In an attempt to project himself as the heir to Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s ideology and embarrass Sena, Raj Thackeray tweeted a video clip of a rally where Bal Thackeray is heard saying that the Shiv Sena will not rest until it is successful in preventing people from offering namaz on roads when it comes to power in the state.
This irked Shiv Sena leading to key party leaders hitting back at the MNS chief. Shiv Sena continued its attack on MNS, saying those who left Bal Thackeray must not teach Hindutva to Sena. “Those who left Balasaheb and his teachings, and those who backstabbed Shiv Sena, must not teach us Hindutva,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.
Aaditya Thackeray has visited Ayodhya twice with Uddhav Thackeray — in November 2018 and March 2020. This will mark his third visit. The Sena had earlier announced that Aaditya Thackeray would visit Ayodhya in May. However, the party altered the plan.
“It was discussed that first Uddhav ji must address a rally and respond to the attacks against us. A strong response from the top is more important than merely a visit. Therefore, Aaditya will go after the two rallies (May 14 in Mumbai and June 8 in Aurangabad),” a Sena functionary said, requesting anonymity.
Recent incidents have put Shiv Sena in a tight spot, a political analyst said. The party is reacting to the agenda set by the MNS with the assistance of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Sena maintains that Hindutva is its core ideology, despite joining hands with secular parties — the Nationalist congress Party and Congress — in Maharashtra. Challenged by the MNS and BJP over Hindutva, the party fears its space is being eroded, he said.
“The Shiv Sena is merely reacting to the agenda that is set by MNS and BJP. MNS organised Hanuman Chalisa recitals and maha aartis in Mumbai and parts of the state, which was picked up by the Sena,” political analyst Hemant Desai said.
“The Sena has planned rallies in response to Raj’s, including one in Aurangabad where Raj addressed a massive rally. The MNS is projecting Raj as the new Hindutva mascot, the narrative is being set,” Desai said. “So now Aaditya is heading to Ayodhya.”
However, the Sena dismissed allegations that the visit was planned to challenge the MNS over the Hindutva plank. “We do not want to visit for a show of strength or challenge anyone. We are happy that the work on the Ram temple has happened after Uddhav-ji raised the issue once again,” said Uday Samant, Sena leader and the state’s education minister. “Uddhav-ji was the first to donate [funds] for the construction of the temple. So Aaditya-ji is visiting to take the blessing of Lord Ram and to see the work of the temple.”
The MNS’s thrust on Hindutva is to remain relevant in state politics, said political analyst Surendra Jondhale. “MNS has reinvented this agenda to revive its political fortunes, while for the Shiv Sena, it is a continuation of their agenda. But they are now cornered,” he said. The competition is now to show who is more pro-Hindutva, he said.
“There was no need for Aaditya Thackeray to visit Ayodhya and compete with Raj Thackeray. This is cultural war to show that they are pro-Hindutva. However, the people do not care about this. Why should Ayodhya be the political battlefield when there are so many issues in the state?” asked Jondhale, a former professor of political science at Mumbai University. MNS should take up inflation, fuel and cooking gas prices, OBC, and other issues, he added.
