(Rana Ayyub is an award-winning investigative journalist and political writer. She is working on a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will be published later this year.)
What stands exposed as a result of the Shobhaa De controversy is that the Shiv Sena is yet to come to terms with the fact that its playing second fiddle to the BJP in Maharashtra.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna on Thursday, the Shiv Sena chose to return to its oft-repeated description of anything liberal as pro-Pakistan. Two of its spokespersons appeared on national television last night, making a mockery of themselves as they tried to outdo each other in sounding belligerent.
Shobhaa had tweeted her criticism of a plan by the Maharashtra government to make it compulsory for all Mumbai multiplexes to screen a Marathi film every evening - the government justified the proposal as an initiative to promote regional cinema, those like Shobhaa De said cinemas must be given the freedom to decide when a regional language film should be screened. One of her tweets said local snacks like vada pao and dahi missal would be more suitable accompaniments than popcorn.
On Thursday, senior Sena leaders had sent texts to journalists and editors of news channels to assemble outside Shobhaa De's residence. On display before the curious camerapersons were the Maharashtrian delicacies that Shobhaa had referred to. The home delivery was far from a peace offering.
Sanjay Raut, the Saamna editor, played his usual role by asking Shobhaa De to leave Maharashtra. The BJP led by its young Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the process has proved that it has not just been able to surge ahead of the Sena in terms of numbers but has mastered the art of regressive politics practiced by the Sena in the last few months. The recent introduction of a ban on beef by the state government, the many police cases that have accumulated against the comic group AIB and stars who participated in a public roast - all this has left the Sena feeling that the BJP is stealing its thunder in the right-wing vote bank ahead of important civic elections in the state.
From statements on putting an end to toll taxes to promoting Maharashtrian artists in the state - there is an increasing feeling among the Sena cadre that the BJP has appropriate the Sena's agenda. However, with its farcical protest against Shobha De, the party could do well by remembering how the Marathi voter had thrown them out of power in the past when they targeted Maharashtrian icon PL Deshpande and national hero Sachin Tendulkar.
The party, which made an infamous deal with Enron for a power project when was in office in the 90s, was beleaguered by allegations of corruption. So in the mid-90s, it instituted an award called the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar to honour Maharshtrian icons. Noted writer PL Deshpande who was not just a literary genius whose works are included in textbooks in schools and colleges in Maharashtra but was also lauded as a selfless humanitarian. The common
Marathi manoos (Maharashtrian for Aam Aadmi) held him on a pedestal; every word written by Deshpande was treated with awe. However, when the same author lashed out at Shiv Sena for its goondaism or hooliganismin the state, Sena chief Bal Thackeray hit back at him calling him a thankless man and said "it was our folly that we presented the award to him". The Sena could do well by remembering the outrage among litterateurs and Maharashtrian scholars like Narayan Surve, then president of the All India Marathi Literature Forum, and historian YD Phadke, who suggested that targeting Deshpande would not be forgiven by voters; and that did happen. The Shiv Sena was voted out of power in 1999 and returned back only in 2014.
Shiv Sena would also want to be reminded that in November 2009 its attack on Sachin Tendulkar had evoked national outrage especially amongst Maharashtrians who treated the cricketer as a demi God. In an interview, Sachin Tendulkar had rightfully stated "Mumbai belongs to India. That is how I look at it. I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But, I am an Indian first." The comment outraged Shiv Sena so much that in a scathing editorial Bal Thackeray wrote "You said you are proud of being Marathi but are an Indian first. This has hurt the Marathi people. From the cricket pitch you have entered the political pitch. You also said that all Indians have an equal right on Mumbai. What was the need for this? You have become "run-out" on the Marathi pitch. People praise you when you hit fours and sixes. But if you speak against the rights of Marathi people, they will not tolerate it."
A statement uncannily similar to the one made by Saamna on Shobha De who has been an outspoken citizen and a proud Maharashtrian.
In 2015, the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray who campaigned in the farmer suicide belt of Vidarbha raising the issues of the farmer plight. However that issue was kept on a back-burner with the Sena insecure about the BJP's recent stand on marathi cinema and culture. With its outrage against Shobhaa De, the Sena has sought its fifteen minutes of national news because it believes its leaders were caught napping on the issue of lobbying for Marathi films. The question is, why is the Shiv Sena, which has burnt itself in the past by humiliating its own icons, repeating the same mistake? Has being out of power for three consecutive terms made the Shiv Sena blind to its own history?
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