ADHM row: Fadnavis' bid to buy peace between MNS and Bollywood may backfire

Is Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' decision to broker peace by mediating between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and film producers to ensure the release of Karan Johar's movie 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' likely to come a cropper for both political parties?

The MNS had opposed the release of the movie which stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan pointing to Pak-sponsored terror activities in India, including the Uri attack. The BJP, which is likely to contest the polls to the cash-rich Mumbai civic body early next year on its own sans an alliance with the Shiv Sena, also stands to gain with the MNS— whose base largely overlaps that of the Sena— seeking to appropriate the hyper-nationalist anti-Pakistan plank floated by its estranged parent.  Raj's position against cultural exchanges between the two countries also coincides with the agenda of a section of the BJP, which advocates a hardline stance against India's neighbour.

A BJP leader admitted to unease over the chief minister's decision to mediate between the two parties instead of cracking down on any vandalism or protests. "There is no law preventing the release of that film," he noted, however adding that the sentiment in India was clearly anti-Pakistan. "The other option of giving protection to the film could have also led to a backlash," he claimed, adding that the MNS had lost much of its bite over the years. "The agitation may however help the MNS come back into the focus. Every party has a committed voter who feels charged up in such circumstances," he noted.

So, has the BJP, in an attempt to upstage the Shiv Sena using the MNS ended up cutting its nose to spite its face? "They have lost their credibility," said Deepak Pawar, assistant professor, department of civics and politics, University of Mumbai, adding that such mediation with non-state entities 'was not a healthy trend'.

"The BJP perhaps wants to finish off both the Shiv Sena and the MNS. The Sena through aggressive posturing and the MNS through co-option," he noted, adding that the nativist MNS stood to gain little political mileage through the episode. "Creating a sentiment in the minds of the people for breaking the law does not work in the long run," said Pawar, pointing to how the history of the MNS was replete with u-turns.

Incidentally, the erstwhile Congress-NCP government had come down heavily against the Shiv Sena for opposing actor Shah Rukh Khan's movie "My Name is Khan" in 2010. A senior MNS leader said the state government stepping in had in fact ensured a face-saver for the party. "What was the other option on our plate? Should our activists have the first ceremonial bath on Diwali and head straight to police lock-ups?" he questioned, pointing to how the police would have come down heavily on their workers if they had tried to vandalise theatres screening the movie.

"This was an honourable withdrawal... police action would have prompted critics to claim that the MNS agitation had flopped and would have also lead to a crackdown on our workers. Conversely, we would have also been blamed if theatres had been vandalised," he admitted.

However, a MNS leader questioned the criticism against the party. "This is a victory of our stand against Pakistani actors," he said, adding that they had taken their agitation to a logical end and gone by public sentiment against Pakistan.