Why is Sanjay Rathod so indispensable for the Shiv Sena

@RavikiranRKD

Mumbai: When the entire state of Maharashtra is keenly discussing the sensational case of alleged suicide by a woman who was very close to Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, disquiet in Shiv Sena, to which he belongs is noticeable.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, also the executive party chief, did not take a quick decision, nor the incriminating evidence that has surfaced so far have been refuted by the party or the minister. This clearly shows Shiv Sena’s predicament and concern over dumping a party member.

Shiv Sena’s political worry ignores the general sentiments attached to the alleged suicide by the lady, Pooja Chavan who was in her twenties and the circumstantial evidence for the removal of Sanjay Rathod from the cabinet. The political consideration has clearly outweighed the moral responsibility of a public representative and his party.

Morality, of late, has become a rare and long-gone term in politics as allegations of corruption, be it ethical or moral, are no longer considered as a ground for doing away with tainted faces.

Several objections have been raised over the style of handling of departmental affairs by Rathod, be it during his stint as the minister of state for Revenue in the previous government or the forest minister in the present government. How surprising is the fact that his performance as the minister has never been a cause of worry for the party but as a community leader, it certainly does matter.  

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It’s mainly because of the caste and religion that holds a solid ground to achieve political goals, conveniently disregarding the performance as a leader for the public good. Political parties too find it easy to rely on caste and religion as it leaves aside all the other issues including the larger interest of the society.

Precisely due to this we cannot find people with calibre whose contribution in terms of science, environment, social work such as fight against caste system, superstition, poverty alleviation, is beyond doubt.

Clearly, Rathod has become a thorn in the flesh for Shiv Sena. He belongs to Gaur Banjara community which has a sizable presence in Yavatmal and Washim districts of Vidarbha region. Rathod has won four elections to the State Assembly as a Shiv Sena nominee and is considered as a firebrand leader of the community. Not just that, Sena has been representing the Yavatmal-Washim Lok Sabha constituency ever since it was created after the delimitation exercise, in 2009.

Sena leadership is warry over the political fallout if Rathod is removed from the cabinet. It does not have another credible face from the same community in Yavatmal and Washim district to maintain its political hold. If the non-availability of other faces from the community is the biggest worry, then it exposes the weakness of the leadership which prefers to rely on a caste over the credibility ratio of the party.

The approach of Sena leadership was the same when its ex-MLA Anil Kadam was accused of manhandling the staff at a toll booth near Nashik.

Despite the fact that the evidence was against the ex-legislator, party leadership decided to protect him. When the public outrage was at peak, Kadam submitted his resignation letter to Thackeray instead to the Assembly Speaker, and later withdrew it after the controversy died down.

Reports surfaced that Rathod should be given a chance as has been given to NCP’s Dhananjay Munde, who heads the Social Justice department. Munde was accused by a lady of sexual exploitation and pressure tactics to keep silence. The matter was quickly responded by the minister saying he has been dealing with it on a legal front. Though a case is pending before the court of law and is being argued before an arbitrator, the question of morality takes a backseat.

It must be noted here that Munde is a member of the Vanjara community which is politically significant in Beed and other 2-3 districts. In his case NCP maintained maximum silence which is now being copied by Shiv Sena in Rathod’s case.

Be it Rathod or Munde, one cannot question how far the community has benefitted through them in terms of overall progress of the districts or regions they belong to. Their performance is measured mostly on the parameters of caste pride rather than the performance as a minister working for overall progress.

Had it been for the progressive approach alone, the crisis in the farming and industrial sector, low per capita income, unemployment, poor state of infrastructure in semi or under developed areas, would have been dealt with effectively.

Another worrying factor in Rathod’s case is that the departed lady belongs to the same Gaur Banjara community but nobody from that community has so far come forward demanding justice to her. The silence is worrying and reveals the social psyche despite talks of Maharashtra being a progressive state. On the political front BJP took up the cause but was silent for a few days before the show of strength by Rathod at Pohradevi, the holiest place of the Banjara community.

Defying the norms imposed by the state government in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, he visited the temple along with his supporters. The state did not initiate quick action even as it was found that a number of people tested positive soon after the visit by the minister.

Now, when the BJP announced it would press for the removal and an FIR against the minister the government machinery did move. The first move was not aimed at Rathod but towards a BJP women’s wing leader who was demanding action. An old matter against her spouse has been revived and a case has been filed.

One should not go into the merits of the old case but the timing is most surprising and it shows if you raise your voice against powers-that-be you will be taken care of. It happens in every government irrespective of the party that is in power.

Finally, observance of democratic principles is left to the common voters and not for the people in politics and power.