Raj Thackeray: Why the ‘angry man of Maharashtra’ is so active again

Raj Thackeray sounds angry and indignant most of the time. Some of it is cultivated. Some bits are genuine. And the rest is an elaborate edifice of trying to create an ecosystem where his presence in the political milieu of Maharashtra could be justified. Amitabh Bachchan at his peak was branded as the “angry young man”. As the years rolled by he was rebranded as the “angry middle-aged man”. Later, that branding disappeared too as he changed his avatar into an ageing patriarch. Raj Thackeray, at 53, is possibly the “angry middle-aged man” who is desperately looking for a hit. He is currently basking in the spotlight of media cameras as he wades into the quixotical battle of silencing loudspeakers in the state. But more of that later. First, it is essential to understand where Raj Thackeray came from? What were the defining influences in his life? What role did Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray play in mentoring him? Why did Raj have to form his own party — Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)? And why is he being called the BJP’s B-team? As always, the answers to key questions form the core of the narrative. Raj is the nephew of Bal Thackeray; and a cousin of Shiv Sena chief and current Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. His parents were Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray’s wife Meena Thackeray). He graduated from Mumbai’s Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art and later joined Marmik, the weekly magazine of Bal Thackeray, as a cartoonist. Needless to say, Bal Thackeray was a brilliant cartoonist, often categorised in the same vein as RK Laxman and were both inspired by British great David Low. Since Raj was always modelling himself on his venerable uncle; copying his style of speaking and mannerisms, his becoming a cartoonist was no accident. Raj hit his first run by launching the student wing of Shiv Sena called Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena. He shot into the limelight during the campaign for 1990 Maharashtra Assembly elections. During the 1990s, Raj genuinely believed he would inherit the mantle from his uncle. His cousin, Uddhav, was always very soft-spoken, reticent and media-shy. In contrast, Raj was fiery, aggressive, and ultra-hungry.

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Also Read **Will give tit for tat if loudspeakers on mosques are not removed by 3 May, says Raj Thackeray** **Shor in the city: What the rulebook says about the use of loudspeakers in religious places**

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But as they often say, blood is thicker than water. Bal Thackeray chose his son Uddhav. Taking that as a cue, Raj was further side-lined by the other leaders in the upper coterie. Raj possibly never wanted to hang on to someone else’s coat-tails. He resigned from the Shiv Sena on 27 November 2005 and announced his intention to start a new political party. On 9 March 2006 in Mumbai, Raj ushered in the MNS. The problem for Raj has been that his MNS has had too much of a roller-coaster ride. It has not really been able to take pole position. The use of excessive brawn in certain cases has led to it being branded as a party of “heavies”. The MNS won 13 Assembly seats (out of 288) in the 2009 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. This result (4.5 per cent seats) made MNS the fourth largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly after Congress-NCP (144 seats), BJP-Shiv-Sena (90 seats), Third Front (14 seats). This euphoria was short-lived. Disenchantment followed in the 2014 Assembly elections. It won only one seat across the state. It lost all 10 seats held by it. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held in 2017, the tally of MNS was reduced to seven seats. In October 2017, six councillors defected to the Shiv Sena, thus taking its representation down to one seat. The MNS basically has a single standpoint. It wants to protect the sons of the soil and uphold the prestige of “Marathi Manoos” (people of the state). Faced with so much defeatism, Raj is looking for a miracle to attain resurrection. This is why he is desperately looking to latch on to issues which have high decibel value. The loudspeaker hoopla is perhaps just what the doctor ordered for MNS. The matter is best understood in Raj’s own words: “The issue is not only about mosques and there are several temples with illegal loudspeakers.” He stressed this is “not a one-day issue”. “If mosques don’t follow guidelines, then Hanuman Chalisa will be played at double volume. Students and ill people suffer because of loudspeakers. Is your religion bigger than people?” The Supreme Court has banned the use of loudspeakers from 10 pm to 6 am and restricted the decibel limits. There are no other restrictions, and violation of noise limits or use (of loudspeakers) by anyone from 10 pm to 6 am can be reported. As always, there is a political trigger behind such developments. The face-off between Raj and Uddhav comes ahead of the civic elections in Maharashtra, in which the BJP is attempting to get control of the Mumbai civic body. The ruling Shiv Sena has accused the MNS of being the “B Team” of the BJP, attempting to cut into the Sena votes with its aggressive stance on Hindutva. And that answers the question of whether MNS is aligned with the BJP. Aurangabad Police has registered a case against Raj Thackeray for allegedly delivering a provocative speech. Mumbai Police has issued a notice to the MNS chief under Section 149 of CrPC, invoked to prevent a cognizable offence. Raj, in the interim, says that his plans to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers near mosques where loudspeakers have not been removed would continue. He asserts his protest against loudspeakers is not on religious but on social grounds and that the recitations from mosques are leading to noise pollution. Raj Thackeray and his party have been criticised for use of violence during their agitations, especially directed toward immigrants from UP and Bihar. On the use of violence, Raj says that violence is a part of all agitations in Indian politics, and there are several cases of much more violence carried out by other parties and organisations. According to him, the incidents of violence involving members of his party have been unduly highlighted by north Indian politicians and journalists. Stepping up the attack on the ruling Shiv Sena, Raj tweeted an old video Bal Thackeray in which the latter is seen saying the day his party comes to power, offering of namaz on roads will be stopped and loudspeakers from mosques removed. Raj is further delving into technicalities like decibel levels of loudspeakers, blanket permission being granted and police laxity to continue with his campaign. One thing hasn’t changed about Raj. He still wants to be like his Uncle. The author is CEO of nnis. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.