The whispers of a possible rapprochement between the estranged cousins — Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray — may be speculative. Yet, what is interesting is the cause that was cited by the cousins, the leaders of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena (UBT), respectively, while making noises of burying the hatchet. The decision by the Devendra Fadnavis government to make Hindi the third language at the primary level in the schools of Maharashtra — it has now been rolled back — a state with a fecund history of political mobilisation based on the Marathi language and identity, seemed to have spurred the Thackeray brothers to attempt to paper over, what they said were, “minor differences”. The real reason for this potential family reunion, if it does, indeed, take place, would be their current political marginalisation. Uddhav Thackeray finds himself leading a rump of the former Shiv Sena, having been cut to size first by the Bharatiya Janata Party and, then, by the electorate in the recent assembly elections. His cousin, who had a falling out with Uddhav Thackeray after being overlooked as the successor of Bal Thackeray in the Shiv Sena way back in 2005, has been a spent force in terms of politics for a while. Their eagerness to regain political significance is, thus, understandable: the bogey of the interests of the Marathi manoos, an identitarian plank, has been zeroed in on since it has traditionally provided the Shiv Sena with its core political appeal.
Yet, there are several challenges that may stymie the siblings’ efforts to rejoin hands, principal among which, ironically, is sibling rivalry. It must be remembered that the Thackerays parted ways on the issue of leadership of the undivided Shiv Sena. Will they be able to align their competitive ambitions if there is to be a union? There are ideological dilemmas as well. Uddhav Thackeray has shunned the Shiv Sena’s bonhomie with the principle of Hindutva, choosing to recast his party in a more inclusive avatar. Whether Raj Thackeray is amenable to this pluralistic vision, especially since the recent split in the Sena engineered by Eknath Shinde pertained to the discomfort of a large section of Sainiks over Uddhav Thackeray’s change in ideological spots, remains to be seen. Yet, it is apparent that the Sena needs to reinvent itself since the BJP has grown at its expense by stealing the Sena’s Hindutva thunder. The Thackeray brothers joining hands could create another churn in Maharashtra’s turbulent politics.