BJP steals Shiv Sena's poll plank, seeks to emerge as Hindutva's sole saviour

From being a junior partner to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra to emerging as the big brother of the Hindutva cause, Bharatiya Janata Party’s political journey has come a long way in the state over the past two decades.

Party sources stated that BJP’s strategy to emerge as the sole champion of Hindutva in Maharashtra, eroding the traditional Hindutva voters away from the Sena, has been in the works for the past several years.

With a complete and strategic backing by the Central party leaders and the blessing of its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsewan Sangh the BJP has been chipping away at the Shiv Sena, stating that it had abandoned its original ideology and compromised to form an “unholy alliance”.

Ever since the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the BJP has repeatedly alleged that the party has gone rogue from the ideology of its founder leader Bal Thackeray, terming the Shiv Sena as “Sonia Sena”.

However, with the Shiv Sena facing a rebellion and a fight for survival, Uddhav Thackeray is trying to repeatedly emphasise Shiv Sena's connect with Hindutva.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Shiv Sena will remain on the path of Hindutva, this despite the fact that MVA alliance partner Congress’ leader Rahul Gandhi, has been slamming the ideology, saying it only seeks power.

How the BJP targeted the Shiv Sena over Hindutva

–Former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly launched scathing attacks on Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him of forming a government with the Congress which had questioned the existence of Lord Ram.

–The controversy over reciting of Hanuman Chalisa was brought to the fore by linking Shiv Sena for booking independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana under the sedition law. The Rana couple were arrested after they announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of Thackeray’s private residence ‘Matoshree’.

–Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has also repeatedly stated that he and the group of MLAs supporting him wanted to return to the Hindutva ideology propagated by Bal Thackeray. This statement also points towards an imminent alliance of the Shiv Sena rebels with the BJP over the common cause, Hindutva.

–The mob lynching of killing of sadhus in Palghar, and a delay in providing justice, during the MVA tenure is also being highlighted as a case in point.

–BJP’s strategy to weaken Shiv Sena’s base also includes utilising Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to target the Hindutva and Marathi maanoos cause.

Over the past several months, these instance were utilised by the BJP to emphasise the point that the Sena had abandoned he Hindutva cause. Sources stated that this narrative is expected to help the BJP help emerge as the biggest force taking up the cause of Hindutva in the state.

This all-out attack on the Shiv Sena by the BJP is also being seen as an attempt to rattle the Sena ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, sources stated. The polls are expected to take place soon after the Monsoon season. Sena controls the BMC, but holding on to the richest civic body in the country would be a tough task for it considering the split in its traditional votes and the rise of the BJP.