Bal Thackeray – ‘Balasaheb’

Balasaheb Thackeray started his career as a cartoonist in the Free press journal in Mumbai in the early 1950s. His cartoons were also published in the Sunday editions of The Times of India.

He formed the Shiv Sena on 19^th June 1966. The party was formed to protect the interests of Maharashtrians and ensure job security for them as a priority. Bal Thackeray believed strongly in what he preached and eventually managed to capture the imagination of the average Maharashtrian youth staying in the state.

Coupled with his sharp wit and great oratory skills, Thackeray always managed to get a rapt attention from his listeners. Aggressive wordplay, threatening comments and use of derogatory words is the USP of any Bal Thackeray speech. This managed to help him garner a huge support in a very short period of time. Using the south Indian migrant issue, the Shiv Sena had managed to get a foot hold in the Maharashtra political steps.

Bal Thackeray was an active support of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Chalval or the United Maharashtra movement. Bal Thackeray and the Shiv Sena were an integral part of the MES movement.

By the late 1980s, Shiv Sena had become a dominant party in the state’s politics. Meanwhile, Balasaheb, as his party workers started calling him, had turned his towards the issue of Hindutva. He later joined forces with the BJP and the VHP. Shiv Sena workers were also a part of the rampaging mobs that butchered hundreds of people throughout the riot. Balasaheb was even arrested in 1999 for a case was made against him for making inflammatory speeches. After which he was banned from casting his vote and making inflammatory speeches.

In 1995, the Shiv Sena – BJP came to power, however, as it stood then and as it stands now, the remote control of the government was in total control of Balasaheb himself.

Bal Thackeray’s views have always drew flak from all the liberals, Bal Thackeray had denounced the Muslim community and alleged that Muslims are not the original inhabitants of the country and hence only Hindus, who are the original inhabitants should get the actual priority in terms of jobs and educational opportunities.

Bal Thackeray is also infamous for praise for Hitler. Balasaheb believes that although Hitler’s methods were not fair, but he was wonderful organizer and orator. He also felt that India too needed a dictator.

In some ways the votes of the elite and the approval of the elite always eluded bal Thackeray, however, those were never his direct followers. His aim was to attract the average Maharashtrian who worked daily but could reap the benefits of his daily strife because of the lethargic government machinery or the overload that the state was bearing because of the influx of outsiders into the state.

Today, however due to his ailing health Bal Thackeray is disassociated from active politics , but has his son Uddhav taking the reins of the Shiv Sena in his hand. In recent years due to these two factors many have left the Shiv Sena to other parties or to other areas, These include Narayan Rane, who has now joined the Congress and Balasaheb’s nephew Raj Thackeray, who separated from the Shiv Sena over differences with Uddhav on the running of the party.

Whatever may be the truth today, but the fact remains that ten years ago Bal Thackeray had mustered up enough strength through the success of his party that not only did he have the remote control for the state government in his hand but also had the potential to have the remote control of the center in his hand as well.