Munde’s nod to ABS morcha upsets Thackeray

July 18 : Even while the Shiv Sena and the BJP have yet to sort out their differences over the attack on Chhagan Bhujbal's house by a Sena ...

July 18 : Even while the Shiv Sena and the BJP have yet to sort out their differences over the attack on Chhagan Bhujbal’s house by a Sena mob last Sunday, the alliance partners are heading for another conflict over the permission given to ganglord Arun Gawli’s morcha at Kalaghoda on Friday.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray is reportedly very upset with Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, who, as the home minister, allowed the rally that cocked a snook at Thackeray in his own backyard. Sources in the BJP said national general secretary Pramod Mahajan had conveyed to Thackeray the disquiet among the BJP ranks over the attack on Bhujbal’s house by Shiv Sainiks and the subsequent justification given by the Sena chief. Now, it seems, it is Thackeray’s turn to be upset at the success of Gawli’s morcha.

The Sena, it is learnt, sees the morcha as the arrival of the man who will meet the Shiv Sena’s clout. The Shiv Sena also suspects that the BJP is trying to play the ABS against the Shiv Sena.

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The decision to grant the permission to the morcha was taken after a meeting attended by the chief minister, the deputy chief minister, the additional chief secretary (home), and the police commissioner. The home ministry apparently took the stand that denying permission to the morcha would invite a reaction from the ABS, which the government could ill afford, particularly a day before the Id procession on Friday.

The Shiv Sena obviously is not agreeing. Though BJP sources also believe that Thackeray’s ire at Munde will blow over, the Sena chief is to be watched in the next few days.

While the misadventure of Shiv Sainiks (blessed by Thackeray) on Sunday, had added adrenalin to the campaign of the opposition parties in the state, home minister Gopinath Munde has been the man in the most unenviable position.After he nearly lost his job last week for the firing on the dalits in Ghatkopar, Munde did his best to contain the violence and keep the police on his side. He avoided taking any immediate action against the police officers involved in the firing, with an eye on the bandhs of the next two days.He also managed to allow the dalit protestors on Saturday to give vent to their sentiment, without the police messing with them. Party insiders said Munde had passed his worst test on Saturday.But the “success” was shortlived when on Sunday Sainiks stormed into Bhujbal’s house, making a virtual attempt on his life.

Thackeray himself went to meet the Union home minister Indrajit Gupta on Wednesday morning, and betrayed his own fears that the government could be dismissed. The BJP calculatedly condemned the attack on the house of “leader of the opposition” in both houses of the legislature on Tuesday, during the debate on the adjournment motion, while also beating the Congress with the `hypocrisy’ stick.The BJP, it seems, is finding the pressure of having to explain away Thackeray’s actions too often whether it was his outburst at bringing Ashutosh Rane in a veil to court in the Kini case, or his choice of Seshan for President, or the latest attack on Bhujbal’s house.