It was passed on from Bal Thackeray to his son Uddhav and now, as the Shiv Sena gears up for Aaditya Thackeray’s visit to Ayodhya on Wednesday, there is a subtle sub-text — it’s time to pass on the Hindutva baton to the Thackeray scion and present him as a leader in his own right who is ready to move out of his father’s shadow.
In Ayodhya, Maharashtra’s tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray will perform the Saryu aarti and offer prayers at the temple of Ram Lalla in a visit labelled “purely religious” by Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut.
The Ayodhya visit assumes significance since not only is it a reinforcement of the Shiv Sena’s Hindutva plank — a badge it wore with honour since the times of Bal Thackeray but may have lost its sheen post its cobbling together of an alliance with NCP and Congress — but also marks the first solo visit of the 32-year-old Thackeray whom the Sena is keen to present as its next big thing.
It was in 2010 that Aaditya Thackeray made his formal political debut when Sena founder Bal Thackeray handed him a symbolic sword at the party’s annual Dussehra rally.
Over the years, the Sena’s gradual softening of stand became associated with the young leader’s attempt to win over youth. He was instrumental in convincing the Shiv Sena to drop its Valentine’s Day protests, and spoke about Mumbai’s nightlife, open spaces, and sporting facilities — taking a detour from the hard Hindutva stand.
The Uttar Pradesh stop is also crucial since Aaditya’s uncle Raj Thackeray had announced his visit to the temple town with much fanfare but called off his tour citing health reasons after a BJP MP from UP strongly objected to his visit due to the MNS’ larger anti-North Indians stand.
At a time when Raj Thackeray — chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) — seeks to reinvent himself politically and is also said to be cosying up to the BJP, the Sena has taken it upon itself to remind its support base of the ones who originally fought for the Hindutva cause.
The party, however, dismisses talks of the Thackeray scion’s visit being one to “justify” their Hindutva. “Shiv Sena has never used Lord Ram for political reasons. This is simply a pilgrimage. Our Hindutva is not about showing off,” Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande was quoted as saying.
Show of strength
The Shiv Sena has reportedly booked two trains from Mumbai, each accommodating about 1,700 to 1,800 party members, while a lot more have already left in buses. About 8,000 party workers are expected to go to Ayodhya from Mumbai and Thane alone, The Print reported.
Speaking to reporters, Raut had earlier said: “Shiv Sena has a long association with Ayodhya, since the struggle for the temple started and even later. We have immense faith in Lord Ram and our leaders or workers regularly come here… Praying at the Ram Lalla temple fills us with a divine energy.”
He added that Uddhav Thackeray had come to Ayodhya when he was not holding any office, and later paid a visit even after becoming the Chief Minister.
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