Uddhav's government is tittering on the brink of falling down. Are we heading towards 'Hindutva State of India'?
Our country is failing in almost every indicator be it health, education, global hunger index, human development index etc. The priority of this ' identity protector' has never been these important indicators. There is virtually no focus on all the issues concerning the welfare of the citizens.
Eknath Shinde, with 40 other MLA, split from the existing Shiv Sena party citing "Hindutva Concern". The faction group is claiming to be the true representative of Balasaheb Thackrey. Balasaheb Thackrey had radical Hindutva ideology which had the support of majority sentiments.
The issue is the majoritarian perspective. The faction group in Shiv Sena have been garnering public support on the predicate of Balasaheb's strong Hindutva ideology which was substantially similar to that of the Modi regime.
"True Hindutva" here does not imply following the disciple of Hinduism. Rather it embraces
depicting hostility, enmity and hostility towards other religious faiths. This promotes communalism for political benefit. It is an 'assertive identity', a legacy left by Balasaheb Thackrey.
Uddhav Thackrey's style of governance is distinctively different from his father's. Uddhav's style is systematic and passive. He was applauded many times for taking a centrist position on various issues.
In these testing times, Uddhav Thackrey was supported by many ''left intellectuals" despite the fact that he has the genesis of the "far-right party". He was supported for shifting from the radical ideology of "old shiv sena" to a moderate new one.
Free press journal wrote : -
Uddhav has always stood out as a gentleman -- a misfit in the political situation that has persisted for the last few decades. Though not as popular as his father, Uddhav has earned the love and support of a large majority of party members, supporters and well-wishers, but that does not make him a successful politician.
But it was very difficult for Uddhav to accommodate a different spectrum of demands of Congress, NCP and his political party.
It has been alleged by his party leaders that both the parties have been dominating the alliance leaving a small pie of share with Shiv Sena. In all this mess, Uddhav was sandwiched between old and new shiv sena.
The ramification resulted in a faction group demanding a 'Hindutva' approach towards governance.
The Hindutva phenomenon is not just active at the Maharashtra level but a substantial state of India. For example, In Delhi, Aam Admi Party after a disastrous loss in the 2017 MCD elections, changed its trajectory towards gaining a Hindu identity. They started conducting Hindu religious functions at the mass level asserting being a true Hindu leader.
Rahul Gandhi, after the consecutive disastrous losses of congress in almost every election, also started leaning towards "soft Hindutva".
And this goes without saying that no government is supposed to engage in religious activities. This is something our constitution does not permit. But in a democracy where the majority always wins we are seeing public morality triumph over constitutional morality.
The broad narrative created by Hindutva political party asserts that the 'identity of the majority' is in danger and can only be protected by them. The majoritarian public morality always prioritises protecting their 'Hindutva identity' by giving unconditional support to the political party.
Our country is failing in almost every indicator be it health, education, global hunger index, human development index etc. The priority of this ' identity protector' has never been these important indicators. There is virtually no focus on all the issues concerning the welfare of the citizens.
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