There will be a new social renaissance in Maharashtra after Shiv Shakti (Shiv Sainiks) and Bhim Shakti (supporters of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar) unite, declared the Shiv Sena on the concluding day of its two-day conclave at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini in Uttan in Thane district. The party will launch a campaign to attract smaller and neglected parts of society, said senior party leader Subhash Desai.In the presence of Sena chief Bal Thackeray and party executive president Uddhav Thackeray, the Sainiks deliberated on the proposed union of the two distinct political groups. The Sena decided to aggressively take up the issue of atrocities on Dalits.The necessity of a union between hardcore Hindutvavadis and the Dalit population was mooted by Uddhav after he took over as the party’s executive president. Though criticised initially, the formula has found many takers within the rank and file of the Sena and Dalit population. However, leaders of the Republican Party of India (RPI), the banner which unites the Dalit population, have demanded that the Sena shed its hardcore Hindutva policy for such a unity.On June 21, a large group of RPI followers joined the Sena at a mammoth function in Baramati, the pocketborough of NCP president Sharad Pawar. The high attendance at this function, that too in a Congress-turned-NCP pocketborough, was proof of the strides made by the Sena in recent months. Addressing the press later, Uddhav said if the Sena is able to woo the Dalit population, which comprises 11.5 per cent of the population, it would definitely be a social renaissance. ‘‘The Sena is also considering fielding Dalit candidates in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls,’’ he said.The Sena leadership will hold deliberations with the second-rung leadership of the RPI to effect the proposed changes, said Uddhav.In the presence of the ageing Thackeray, the delegates affixed their stamp of approval for the Mee Mumbaikar programme. Flanked by cousin Raj, Uddhav sought to dispel talk of any power struggle between the two of them. ‘‘Wherever possible, we will give tickets to Dalit candidates or enter into alliances with such candidates of smaller parties,’’ said Uddhav.
