Does Uddhav Thackeray Have The Strength To Resurrect His Shiv Sena?
By RKB
I think Sharad Pawar said it best when he told Uddhav Thackeray to forget about the bow and arrow symbol or the name Shiv Sena and move on; he said “in 1978 Mrs Gandhi lost the Congress election symbol and the name, she came with a new name and new symbol and won the 1980 elections by a landslide”
Uddhav Thackeray is listening and not listening
The bow and arrow was and will remain Shiv Sena’s identity as exemplified by its founder and driving force Balasaheb Thackeray
Naturally it is difficult for Uddhav Thackeray to give all that up and move on!
But move on he must (unless there is a miracle and the Supreme Court rules in his favour)
Uddhav Thackeray must move on because right now he needs to defend his political legacy across the state; every shakha, every nukkad office, every village, zila and district office across Maharashtra needs his personal intervention so as not to move towards the ever welcoming arms of Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis
Will he do it?
He had better or he will be wiped out
The Thackeray name in the Shiv Sena has a magical incantatory value that only those who have lived in Maharashtra know
But this incantation works only on strength
Thackeray is strength
Shiv Sena is strength
Not weakness or victimhood
A victimised Shiv Sena is not the Shiv Sena
And that is because of Balasaheb Thackeray’s own personality built carefully and painstakingly over decades by invoking Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj…
Shivaji Maharaj never played victim
Shivaji Maharaj never went to his people with tales of how he had been unfairly dealt with
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj taught everyone around him to turn defeats and setbacks into victories and triumphs
If Uddhav Thackeray plays victim for too long he will find himself alone
So what does Uddhav Thackeray do?
It’s simple really
All he has to do is to follow the Playbook of his father Balasaheb Thackeray in the present context
Connect with every Shakha Pramukh all over Maharashtra; go to as many places as possible all over the state where there are Shiv Sainiks!
Organise rallies that are humongous
Get everyone on the ground within the Shiv Sena involved
And then focus on one political adversary
Just one
And bring to bear all the emotional trappings of a sinned against Marathi Manus!
It won’t matter who has the Shiv Sena name or the Bow & Arrow symbol after that!
Will Uddhav Thackeray do it?
If he doesn’t the Thackeray legacy fades away with him
If he does he revived the Thackeray Political hold on parts of Maharashtra and the old Shiv Sena will live again!
