Desperation to save political ground against the BJP has pushed the opposition camp into uncomfortable twists and turns. From archrivals BSP and SP forging an alliance of convenience and now Raj Thackeray emerging as the new ‘liberal’ hero, people have seen it all in these elections.
Prime Minister Modi’s taking aim at the rampant corruption during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure seems to have awakened the true ‘liberal’ inside Raj Thackeray that has been hiding behind the garb of fear mongering, hooliganism and hatred for long.
Post PM Modi’s comment, where he had called Rajiv Gandhi as “corrupt no. 1”, Raj Thackeray had tweeted:
“Hatred, endless lying and absolutely no qualms in transgressing the decorum of public life are the 3 characteristics that mark the term of Narendra Modi. This stands intensified with his latest statements against the late Rajiv Gandhi and the nation will definitely not pardon it.”
Hatred, endless lying and absolutely no qualms in transgressing the decorum of public life are the 3 characteristics that mark the term of Narendra Modi. This stands intensified with his latest statements against the late Rajiv Gandhi and the nation will definitely not pardon it.
— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) May 5, 2019
Insulting the brave soldiers who had lost their lives in the terror attack by involving in petty politics also seems be fitting perfectly in Raj Thackeray’s definition of ‘public decorum’. Raj Thackeray had also raised questions over the cowardly Pulwama attack and linked it to the general elections.
“There is a limit to speaking lies. Lies are being spoken to win elections. In a bid to win upcoming elections, there will be another Pulwama like attack within the next 1-2 months,” he said.
He asked, “Is the real enemy inside or outside the country?”
Raj Thackeray’s newfound concern for ‘decorum of public life’ is surely a positive step looking at the history of his personal conduct and the way his party workers have behaved on various occasions.
A video posted on Twitter by a user shows Raj Thackeray displaying his ‘public decorum’ skills by imitating and mocking Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi:
लाव रे तो विडियो 🤣🤡🤑
Here Painter babu's "public decorum" vis a vis his current Italian boss. Enjoy !!! pic.twitter.com/DBHAMJvfpP
— iMac_too (@iMac_too) May 6, 2019
MNS workers have followed the footsteps of their leader in his protest against ‘transgressing the decorum of public life’.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, in September2018, had threatened and assaulted a man from Badlapur in Thane district of Maharashtra for commenting against a cartoon made by Raj Thackeray. The person concerned was not only forced to remove his Facebook post but was also manhandled by party workers. Also, no police complaint was made in the case while party workers themselves posted the entire incident on social media.
In another incident displaying the ‘public decorum’ of MNS, three transgender people were beaten up brutally in Thane, allegedly by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, including women, in May of 2018. The three victims were taken to Thane civil hospital; one of them had suffered serious injuries and had to be moved to another Hospital.
Raj Thackeray, who was snubbed by the Congress for his attempts to join the Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra, seems to be buttering up future prospects for his political survival by these comments. Reports of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to reportedly campaign for the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party alliance have also surfaced.
“According to the arrangement worked out between Raj and Pawar over several rounds of meetings, the rallies the former will address will be exclusive MNS rallies – meaning the stage at these meetings will only have MNS flags. However, Congress-NCP candidates could join him on stage and the message will be stridently anti-BJP and anti-NDA,” Mumbai Mirror said in the report.
‘Liberals’, switching their tone again, came out in hoards to support Raj Thackeray, who they have been vociferously attacking for long. Raj Thackeray, whose political career has been solely built on fear mongering, hooliganism and hatred, now preaching morality in political life, is surely a positive step for the MNS even if it is just out of desperation for political survival.
