In a clear indication of an irreconcilable rift between it and its senior alliance partner BJP, the Shiv Sena on Saturday staged simultaneous protests at 12 places across the metropolis against the hike in prices of fuel, essential commodities and domestic gas cylinders.
Amid intense speculation that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray — during his Dussehra rally to be held next week — might announce withdrawal of his party’s support to the BJP-led Government in the State and at the Centre, the Shiv Sainiks hardened their stand against the Narendra Modi government on the issues of fuel price and inflation.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rise in prices of fuel, essential commodities and domestic cylinders, the protesters — mostly women wearing garlands made of vegetables and carrying empty domestic gas cylinders — raised vociferous slogans against Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The protesters — comprising both leaders and leaders — raised slogans like “Evdi Mansha Kashyala, Modincha Maithala ( why are these many people, it is Modi’s funeral), “Narendra Sarkar, Hai Hai, Devendra Sarkar Hai Hai,” “BJP Come to Your Senses, Or Get Out” and “Jai Ram, Shri Ram, BJP Ram Ram”.
While Sena’s youth wing president Aditya Thackeray himself led the protests held in the vicinity of Thackerays’ Bandra residence “Matoshri” , several senior party leaders — including Anil Desai, Anil Parab, Arvind Saawant, Neelam Gore, former Mumbai Mayor Snehal Ambekar — led the protests in other places.
Senior party leaders Anil Desai and Anil Desai were in the forefront of the protest held in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in south Mumbai, while protests were also held in suburbs like Borivali, Kandivali, Jogeshwari, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Bhandup and Chembur,
In a statement, the Sena held the ruling BJP squarely responsible for the all round inflation confronting the country and if it failed to bring it under control the Shiv Sena would launch a nationwide agitation.
The Sena said during the Congress regime the BJP leaders had launched protests against inflation, but this time their leaders are backing the decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which had hit the masses hard.
In a serious tweets put out after the Sena staged protests against rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, essential commodities and domestic gas cylinder, Sena’s youth “wing leader Aditya Thackeray said: “This is only the beginning of the protests. One cannot be for long in Govt by being blind to the woes of the common man.... The “Mann ki Baat” of the common man must be heard by the government too. Promises for which votes were asked, can’t be broken”
“(At today’s protests), we were looking for the missing hoardings that once asked for votes saying “IJIJIJIJ IJIJIJ IJIJIJIJIJIJ IJIJ IJIJIJ...We were also trying to find that missing lady who once said “janta maaf nahi karegi” and raised her voice against rising prices...We were on the look out for those leaders, who once sat with us and asked for the then PM’s resignation over increasing fuel prices,” the Sena youth wing leader said.
Blaming the BJP for the fuel and essential commodities’ price rise, senior Sena leader Anil Parab said: “The Shiv Sena always stood by the common man. Here, we may be part of the government, but the thing is that we cannot be silent to the issues of the common man. The price rise is because of the BJP”.
Through the earlier protests against the delay in the implementation of the farmer loan waiver scheme and Saturday’s protests against the fuel and essential commodities’ price rise, the Shiv Sena is preparing ground for withdrawing its support to the BJP-led saffron alliance government in the state.
Despite being part of the governments in the state and at the Centre, the Sena has never lost an opportunity to castigate the BJP-led NDA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Maharashtra government on various issue of public importance, including the demonetisation. By doing so, the Sena has tried to occupy the space of Opposition even while being in the government. The objective behind this exercise is that the Sena does not want to be saddled by the strains of the anti-incumbency faced by the Modi government which has come under flak from various quarters over demonetisation and other issues like the farmers’ distress.
It may be recalled that on Monday, the Shiv Sena had indicated that it would soon walk out of the Devendra Fadnavis-led saffron alliance government in Maharashtra in view of what it called “growing dissatisfaction” among the people in the state and the country about the rising prices of essential commodities, diesel and petrol, the continued agrarian crisis and its own inability to address the grievances of the people.
At a meeting of party MlAs and MPs held at “Matoshri”, the elected representatives had authorised party president Uddhav Thackeray to take a final call on withdrawing the party’s support to the BJP-led government in the state and at the Centre.
Informed sources in the Sena said that Saturday’s protests were a precursor to a formal announcement of withdrawal likely to be made by Uddhav at the party’s Dussehra rally scheduled for September 30.