When Emergency was imposed in 1975, the Panthers supported it, as did the Sena. But the animosity between the Panthers and the Sena continued. Even a factionalised Panthers constituted a formidable power against the Sena during the riots of 1978 that followed the announcement of Marathwada University being renamed after Ambedkar.

Dhasal’s most ironical act was crossing the ideological divide in 1997 and supporting the Sena, which was in power in the state in a coalitional arrangement with the BJP. Dhasal was well-feted at that juncture by the ruling establishment and was conferred the Padma Shri. Since then, he has been a friend of Bal Thackeray and, at a recent public meeting, even regretted having once abused Hindu gods and goddesses.

His alliance with the Sena and his penchant for life’s luxuries, invited the wrath of a large section of dalits. He was perceived by them as a betrayer of the dalit cause. But even those who denounce his politics today cannot deny his great contribution to literature. To this day the imagery he introduced into Marathi poetry remains path-breaking.