The blow hot, blow cold ploy: It was in utter helplessness that Sena joined BJP govt in Maharashtra, and Centre

It’s a party that cares two hoots. Period. It cares little for its enemies; it cares not for its friends and it absolutely does not care for the media. In fact, it is the only political party, probably in all of India, that thumbs its nose at the media all the time and cocks a snook at its political allies. All the time.

Indeed, the Shiv Sena, and not the BJP, is a party with a difference. When Devendra Fadnavis walked into Mantralaya as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on October 31, 2014, he had hoped the Sena would join in. The Sena did, weeks later, as an afterthought, and has been playing the role of Opposition within the government and outside it too. Fadnavis soon found that the prospect was not really a carrot that dangled temptingly, but a sword that continues to be brandished closely over his head.

After bursting crackers at the BJP at every turn eclipsing the Opposition — the Congress and the NCP — the Shiv Sena did what many dubbed as “unthinkable” in the past month. It praised Rahul Gandhi’s leadership to drive home its claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma had faded. If that was not confusing enough, the Sena followed it up with an announcement that it would pitch its poll tent in Gujarat.

At the moment, the party is looking at 50-60 seats, after rationally assessing the aftermath of demonetisation and GST on the trader community of Gujarat. While there is merit in the claim that south Gujarat has a sizeable number of Marathi voters, Uddhav Thackeray is predominantly targeting its partner in government and thick-friend-turned arch-foe, BJP.

Like all other storms, the BJP may weather this one with a squirm and a squabble. It has no choice. Ever since the two split officially ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 after a 25-year alliance and the BJP stormed into Parliament as well as the Maharashtra assembly, making the Sena look like a country bumpkin to its happening rockstar persona, the BJP had worked itself into becoming the Sena’s most hated foe. And the Shiv Sena lives off its aggressive pitch. Its ecosystem is built around the idea that every action has to have a vigorous and opposite reaction. If Bal Thackeray made a career by piquing the Congress with his spitfire diatribe, his son, Uddhav is attempting the same with the BJP. The difference is the BJP is technically not an opponent. But then, he has greater reasons to spite them.

In 2014, the saffron ally delivered a body blow to Sena’s hubris from which it has not recovered. Till then, the BJP was the Sena’s junior partner, always playing second fiddle, even subservient. The equation was so entrenched that it occurred to no one in the BJP to challenge the status quo even after the death of one of the main architects of the alliance, Pramod Mahajan. Mahajan was one-half of the reason the tie-up lasted so long. He knew how to humour Thackeray Sr. Relations between the two allies took a serious beating after Mahajan’s assassination. They bumbled along as neither was confident of getting out, and nosedived after Bal Thackeray’s death. Even at that time, there were no clear indications of what lay in store for either party.

As the BJP behemoth rode on Narendra Modi’s shoulders, Amit Shah was in no mood to concede the Sena’s unrealistic demands and decided to go it alone in the next Lok Sabha elections. Many Maharashtrians saw it as treason. What they had not seen was the build-up of frustration within the BJP cadres as they felt slighted by the Sena at every turn. Playing junior partner was denting the party morale and its future prospects.

It was in utter helplessness that the Sena joined the BJP government in the state and eventually at the Centre, but the tables had clearly turned. The unpalatable leaves a bitter aftertaste. It’s that embitteredness at play in its valiant bid to wade in Gujarat poll waters. The BJP’s latest attempt to get Narayan Rane from the Congress into its fold has literally driven the Sena up the wall. The BJP is now a poisonous bee and a stung Sena is trying everything in its power, desperate ways to swat it. Recently, it released a booklet titled ‘Ghotalebaaz BJP’ (Scamster BJP), listing alleged scams under the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.

Rahul Gandhi’s transformation into a lesser evil comes after a long wait. The last time the Sena top brass showed serious appreciation for a Gandhi was when Bal Thackeray supported Indira Gandhi’s imposition of Emergency in 1975.

The Sena’s latest softening towards the Congress has been orchestrated by the party’s most aggressive face, Sanjay Raut, more than Uddhav Thackeray. More of this mollycoddling will follow, especially if the Gujarat elections throw up some surprises for the BJP. Tacit pacts to scratch each other’s back invisibly to edge out a common enemy is not too far in the distance, but open support for each other is something both would baulk at, given their vote bank compulsions.

The author is a senior journalist and a communications consultant. Views expressed are personal.