Why Raj Thackeray behaves the way he behaves

If there is one person who is heir apparent to Bal Thackeray, it has to be Raj Thackeray. Brilliant writer, fiery orator, cartoonist par –excellence; all the traits which runs in the Thackeray family, handed down from his grandfather to his uncle and now to him. Logic should have dictated that he be anointed heir apparent; however blood being thicker than water, Uddhav was made the head of the Shiv Sena and Raj formed the MNS. Even while his new party was being formed there were considerable expectations that a large chunk of Shiv Sainiks would change loyalties and side with him. However this did not happen primarily because many of them had much more faith in the old patriarch who professed that MNS would fail and that Raj would return to the Sena fold and accept Uddhav as his leader.

At the time of the starting his party, Raj undertook massive rallies throughout the state harping on an agenda on inclusiveness – trying to distance himself from the right wing politics that the Sena had come to be associated with him. He hoped to build secular credentials for himself and targeted the ever growing and powerful North Indian community as a potential vote base.

However major events along the way, like the Municipal elections in Mumbai made it amply clear that the north Indian community would never vote for him because they saw him as just another Thackeray who was out to drive them away from the city. The Marathi youth whom Raj hoped to target because of his charisma and age saw his stance of wooing non Maharastrians as betrayal and stayed away from him.

2 years down the line, the fortunes of the MNS were flagging and an inclusive agenda really did not seem to be going anywhere. He really needed to do something which would get his people back. He went back to basics and went back to the Marathi Manoos who would give him his votes. The unabashed violence in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra by the MNS is merely his homecoming. Violence has always been a culture of the Shiv Sena and he merely continues to propagate that tradition.

He has played his cards very smartly and now the Shiv Sena which was the vanguard of the Marathi Manoos finds itself perched in a very awkward situation. It can’t be seen to encourage Raj as that would be playing into his hands, at the same time it can’t be seen to not react to the North Indian issue. It’s a situation which works perfectly for him. Raj Thackeray has finally emerged from the shadows of his uncle.

Having said all that, I must conclude by saying that when Raj began MNS, there were a lot of people including me who had a lot of hope in him. He was young, dynamic and spoke his mind. There is a lot which he could have done but alas that was not to be. His return to ‘his roots’ while good for him makes one thing absolutely sure, he will never get my vote.