Published 22:22 IST, October 17th 2018
Uddhav Thackeray to be the new ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ like his father Bal Thackeray
Every year on Dussehra, Shiv Sena organizes their annual rally at Shivaji Park where the party Supremo addresses party workers and weave out strategies to take on their political opponents.
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Every year on Dussehra, Shiv Sena organizes their annual rally at Shivaji Park where the party Supremo addresses party workers and weave out strategies to take on their political opponents. This has been a tradition of the party for more than five decades now. Even though Shiv Sena is going to organize the Dussehra rally this year, however, unlike every year there will be a difference in the atmosphere.
This time the entire city is covered with posters of Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally which has a 'Hindutva' tagline. Adding to that, Shiv Sena has also projected Uddhav Thackeray as the face of hard-core 'Hindutva'. It is unique to find posters of great Maratha warrior 'Shivaji Maharaj' at Shivaji park along with posters of Lord Rama at Shivaji Park for Sena's rally. These posters have surely created ripples within the political circle of Maharashtra.
With the emergence of the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uddhav has realized that if he wants to put a mark on the National politics and spread his party in major states of the country then he must come out from his shell. In today’s time, BJP is considered as the strongest party in the country. BJP had started its political journey as a 'Hindutva' party but now it has changed its focus to development politics.
As a known fact, Shiv Sena has become more vocal about Ram Mandir issue and have been continuously targeting Narendra Modi led BJP. Shiv Sena has made a grand plan to make their party chief the new face of 'Hindu Hriday Samrat'. Visiting Ayodhya and Varanasi is one part of the Mega plan. Shiv Sena is in the process to make Uddhav Thackeray’s Ayodhya visit a grand event. Uddhav is likely to perform Aarti of Ram Lalla as Shiv Sena is planning to take more than 1 lakh Shiv Sainiks from across India to Ayodhya. Uddhav is also likely to go to banaras where he may perform Ganga Aarti.
Across India, followers of Bal Thackeray regarded him as “Hindu Hriday Samrat (King of Hindu's Heart)". Even during the Ram Mandir movement in 90’s, Bal Thackeray was one of the prominent faces of "Hindutva". In fact, due to Bal Thackeray’s inclination towards Hindu ideology his party Shiv Sena could establish units in Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and other states. Uddhav always portrays himself as one of the soldiers of Bal Thackeray and remains grounded. Even after the demise of Bal Thackeray, when Uddhav took the charge of the Shiv Sena, he never called himself Shiv Sena President but Shiv Sena party head. He kept the title of president with his father Bal Thackeray who formed the party in 1966.
22:22 IST, October 17th 2018