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Mumbai: Although state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrakant Patil may have once again sought rapprochement with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, as past history conjures up more bitter memories than any sweet memories at least for the BJP.
From heaping lavish praise on then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi following his August 3, 2011 visit of Gujarat, to suddenly becoming one his most vocal critics during the April-May 2019 Lok Sabha elections, much water has flown under the bridge since August 2011.
Back in August 2011 after completing his tour of Gujarat, the MNS chief had stated that he had come to see the development works carried out by (then) chief minister Narendra Modi.
Political relations between the BJP and the MNS soon began to sour immediately thereafter. Although it was being described as a purely family matter, Raj Thackeray driving his politically estranged cousin Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to Lilavati Hospital on July 17, 2012 did raise a few eyebrows
Just months ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Raj Thackeray fired the first salvo on January 9, 2014 aimed at Modi calling him to step down as Gujarat chief minister since he was being projected as the BJPs prime ministerial candidate
Senior BJP leaders did try to mend fences with the MNS chief considering his clout and support base in Mumbai. Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari did pay a late evening visit to the MNS chief’s Krishna Kunj residence in Dadar on March 4, 2014.
Political equations took an unexpected 360 degrees turn for the BJP as Raj Thackeray fired another missive at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 26, 2017 wanting to know as to why Modi was scared of Rahul Gandhi.
Barely a year later after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the MNS chief took a huge dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s spate of foreign tours. On October 30, 2015 he was heard saying “I just heard that Salman Khan is now making ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’ part 2. In the sequel, he will be seen bringing back Modi to India from a foreign country,” he said, taking a dig at the PM.
The switch-over to the opposition camp was complete when Raj Thackeray met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on April 16, 2019 during the Lok Sabha election campaign. The NCP chief roped him in the grand anti-BJP campaign platform.
His famous punch line to his partymen at the election rallies “Lava Re Toh Video” which sought to fact check claims of development made by Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.
It may be recalled that he had then vehemently opposed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train wanting to know whether people would go all the way to Ahmedabad just to have “Dhokla” (Gujarati dish). The election rallies drew huge crowds in Mumbai, but raised a few eyebrows as the MNS skipped contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as to for whose benefit the rallies were being held for.
In the 2017 elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) the BJP almost gave a scare to its estranged alliance partner the Shiv Sena. Two years later as the BJP made a bid to wrest power from the Sena, 6 MNS corporators in BMC defected to the Sena on November 13, 2019, giving a much-needed comfortable cushion of a majority and helping the Sena in retaining its grip on power in the BMC. Many critics still argue that it was behind the curtains support extended to the Sena.
Given these developments especially after the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil-Raj Thackeray meeting has rekindled hopes amongst some state BJP leaders. But there are many who point towards the MNS chiefs scathing attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the Sena changing its tracks over the issue of Hindutva and joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and forming the government in the state, the MNS chief has once again begun to veer towards occupying the vacant Hindutva plank ahead of the 2022 BMC elections. For the BJP which has not many allies to speak off, is desperately searching for new allies ahead of the crucial 2022 BMC elections. Question is will the BJP yet again court an unpredictable ally in the form of the MNS.
