The Shiv Sena summarily expelled its senior disgruntled senior party leader and five-time former MP Mohan Rawale from the party on Monday afternoon, minutes after he singled out the party president Uddhav Thackeray’s personal assistant Milind Narvekar for a vicious attack and dubbed the Sena as a “party of touts”.
The Sena’s announcement about Rawale’s expulsion came, when some regional television channels were airing live his news conference — at which he came down heavily on the party in general and Narvekar in particular.
Shiv Sena’s spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that Rawale had been summarily expelled from the Sena for the latter’s remarks against the party leadership. Party sources said that in its Tuesday’s edition, the Sena’s official mouth-piece Saamana would publish a detailed statement on Rawale’s expulsion from the party.
Sixty-five-year-old Rawale’s expulsion came within days after his meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray and a terse message Uddhav had sent out to the Sena ranks that he would not tolerate indiscipline within the party.
Though Uddhav had on Friday last made a statement that those leaders who were unhappy with him were free to quit the party — in the context of aggrieved veteran party leader Manohar Joshi who post-haste pledged loyalty to the party leadership, the message had not been lost on Rawale who had also for some time been airing publicly his serious grievances within the party leadership.
Rawale had also issued a clarification that he had met the MNS chief for “purely personal reasons” and the meeting had nothing to do with his unhappiness in the Sena.
At his Monday’s news conference, Rawale squarely blamed Narvekar for the “sad state” of affairs within the Shiv Sena, after the death of its chief Bal Thackeray in November last year. “Narvekar is out to destroy the Shiv Sena. Thanks to Narvekar, the Shiv Sena is fast becoming a party of touts. If the Shiv Sena wants to flourish in a manner in doing all these years, then it should show the door to people like Narvekar”.
Rawale lamented that despite his having been a five-time Shiv Sena MP, he had unsuccessfully seeking a personal meeting with Uddhav for the last four years. “Being a personal assistant, Narvekar is not allowing me to meet Uddhav,” the former Sena MP said.
An influential leader till some years ago, Rawale was elected to lok Sabha from Mumbai South Central constituency for five consecutive terms - in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. Rawale was, however, trounced in the 2009 lok Sabha from Mumbai south constituency by the Congress’ Milind Deora.
After his defeat in the 2009 lok Sabha polls, Rawale had gone into political wilderness and was of late complaining about his having been sidelined within the Sena.
Known for his fire band politics, Rawale had begun his career in the Shiv Sena as the personal bodyguard of late Bal Thackeray. He was the president of Vidharthi Sena, student wing of the Shiv Sena for several years, before becoming a Sena corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The Sena had fielded Rawale as its candidate from Mumbai south-central constituency for the first time in 1991. During the course of his consecutive five terms in lok Sabha, Rawale had made his presence felt in the lower house of Parliament on several occasion.
Given that he enjoys good relations with Raj and the fact that he met the latter recently, political observers do not rule out the possibility of his joining the MNS in near future.
In the event of Rawale joining the the Raj Thackeray-led party, the MNS will in all likelihood field him as its candidate in the forthcoming lok Sabha polls.