In a meek surrender to the peeved party leadership, veteran Shiv Sena leader and former lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi on Friday tendered a public apology to party president Uddhav Thackeray for his criticism of the latter’s “mild” style of functioning.
Seventy-six-year-old Joshi’s public apology came within hours after Uddhav indirectly dared the senior-most Sena leader to quit the party if the latter was unhappy within the party and did not have confidence in his leadership.
After having been in the doghouse with his party leadership, a reconciled Joshi issued a statement on Friday evening, tendering public apology to Uddhav. “I have always respected the Sena president and his dictates. If I have uttered anything inadvertently that has caused disrespect to the party president, I would like to atone myself by tendering a public apology to him and expect that that this controversy would end at least now,” Joshi stated.
Joshi issued the statement after he came in severe flak from senior Sena leaders at a meeting convened by Uddhav at his Bandra residence “Matoshri” to discuss the controversy over his recent utterances against the party president – an act that had resulted in his public humiliation at the Sena’s annual Dussehra rally held at the Shivaji Park on October 13. Joshi, it may been recalled, was booed off the stage by aggrieved party workers.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Uddhav sent out terse message to Joshi that he would not brook any indiscipline in the party. “… I would like to tell all those who have no confidence in my leadership or who are unhappy with me that they are free to quit the Shiv Sena and join any other political party. I would not stop such people from quitting the party. It is for them to decide as to what is good for them,” Uddhav said in an oblique reference to Joshi.
Talking to mediapersons, Uddhav said: “I do not want to name anybody. Any of those who are unhappy with me can quit the party. But, with the support of all those of loyal party workers who have faith in my leadership, I am confident of seeing the Shiv Sena in power in the state in future. … Suffice to say, I do not want disgruntled elements to continue in the party”.
Joshi, who had in an effort to mend fences with the party leadership met Uddhav and greeted him on the occasion of Diwali festival and later interacted with the party president on the first death anniversary of late Sena chief Bal Thackeray, came up with a detailed clarification in his statement as to what led to the controversy involving him.
“The Shiv Sena has always laid emphasis on loyalty and discipline in its ranks. like lakhs of Shiv Sainiks, I have also been loyal to late Bal Thackeray and current party president Uddhav Thackeray. I have been a loyal party worker for the last 45 years. I found myself in an unseemly over a remark that I made in public interview where the interviewee posed a query on the Bal Thackeray memorial. My remark led to a lot of misunderstanding with the party leadership,” Joshi stated.
Joshi — who had walked out of the Sena’s Dussehra rally after being heckled by a section of party workers at the October 13 Dussehra rally in protest against his utterances disapproving Uddhav’s “mild style” of leadership — had earlier said that the “humiliation” he suffered at the hands of party workers was “pre-planned” one and that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had no role to play in it. “… the Sena president (Uddhav Thackeray) was not aware of the conspiracy against me, leave aside his being part of it,” he had said.