Feb 15, 1999

By ousting Manohar Joshi, Thackeray has reiterated that his is the final word in the state.

By Sheela Raval

January was not exactly a pleasant month for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. First his pledge to prevent the Pakistan cricket team from entering the country came unstuck when Union Home Minister L.K. Advani flew to Mumbai and threatened the Maharashtra Government with dismissal if he did not abandon his plans. Days later, the state Government buckled under pressure from the Union Government and allowed the arrest of Sena activists who had allegedly ransacked the Mumbai office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. As the month drew to a close, there was more disappointment in store. Not only had the Pakistanis arrived in the country, they had also beaten India in Chennai. Within hours of the first Test between the two countries going in Pakistan's favour, the Senapati issued orders, unceremoniously removing Manohar Joshi as chief minister and replacing him with the more affable Narayan Tatu Rane.

The move was not entirely unexpected. The cricket issue was only the tip of the iceberg and differences between Joshi and Thackeray had been growing over the past few months. Joshi was becoming increasingly assertive in his bid to steer clear of the path charted out for him. He was also increasingly vocal about his misgivings about implementing some of Thackeray's populist projects like providing free electricity to farmers, free houses to 40 lakh slum-dwellers and employment to 27 lakh jobless youth. According to sources within the Sena, Thackeray's daughter-in-law Smita also played a key role in getting Joshi replaced with Rane, a family loyalist with immense ability to raise funds.

There are other factors that acted against Joshi. Like his proximity to Congress leader Sharad Pawar and a dubious land deal in Pune involving his son-in-law Girish Vyas. Though a public-interest petition in this connection is pending before the Bombay High Court, Thackeray had publicly declared that even if a single stricture was passed against Joshi, he would sack him. Besides, some Independent MLAs recently complained to the Sena chief about the chief minister's office "arbitrarily" withholding clearance for some of their proposals.

For Thackeray, the change makes political sense. The state is due to go to polls early next year and on current form the Sena-BJP alliance seems all set for a hiding. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won 33 of the 48 seats from the state and Joshi's replacement is a clear indication that Thackeray wants the performance of the four-year-old Sena-BJP Government to improve. Admitting as much following Joshi's ouster, he said: "I have now reshuffled my cards, keeping in mind the political need of the hour."

The 45-year-old Rane is now Thackeray's best bet. He has not let his lack of education -- he dropped out after completing his SSLCc -- come in the way of his political career. A clerk in the Income Tax Department, he joined the Sena in 1967 and was made a shakha pramukh in 1984. He made his poll debut in 1985 when he got elected to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Five years later, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly and impressed Sainiks, notably the boss himself, by his ability to collect funds for the organisation. A Maratha, Rane's elevation is expected to alter the general perception within the organistion that the upper castes dominate its leadership. He knows how to strike the right balance between the various power centres in the ruling alliance, the Sena, Thackeray and the various power centres within his family. Among his first moves after assuming charge was to order a reshuffle of the bureaucracy. A kitchen cabinet of four close ministers was also set up to streamline the decision-making process and help achieve some of the targets set by Thackeray.

Rane, however, downplays his abilities. "I have been given the responsibility to enhance our public image by fulfilling the promises made to our voters with the cooperation of our electoral ally," he says. Though the BJP's official reaction to the change of guard was marked by restraint -- a party statement said that as the senior partner in the alliance Government, it was the prerogative of the Sena chief to choose the chief minister -- it was evident that the party was more than happy with Thackeray's decision. At their first joint meeting with the press, Rane and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, who had frequent skirmishes with Joshi, cut a picture of cooperation. "I had nothing personal against Joshi," said Munde when confronted with the issue. "From now on the alliance partners will not spar on any matter and the effort will be to provide a people-oriented government. All decisions will be made jointly."

Those in the know, however, believe such remarks are likely to remain no more than pious sentiments, specially since Thackeray is unlikely to softpedal on his political agenda. If Rane tries to push his mentor's plans too far, he may risk annoying his coalition partners. On the other hand, if he does not toe Thackeray's line, he would incur his wrath. Implementing Thackeray's populist programmes especially would not be easy considering the state's dwindling finances. Rane's ability to raise funds for the party may have impressed his boss but now, among other things, he will have to impress potential investors. If he fails, he will find himself in the same predicament as his predecessor and history could well repeat itself.

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