Assembly polls are approaching in Maharashtra and it seems that all the main players are hand in glove with each other in this crisis. The Maharashtra Congress and NCP are using Raj Thackeray to divert the people’s attention from their failure in governance and development. Raj Thackeray and former Shiv Sainik, Narayan Rane, are drawing closer due to their shared hatred for Uddhav Thackeray. Raj Thackeray thinks that once there is a law and order problem in the state, it would weaken Vilasrao Deshmukh and Narayan Rane could become chief minister.

As far as the Congress and NCP are concerned, people have understood their backroom politics. The BJP, which is a national party, is more sensitive to its regional arrangement. While the BJP’s alliance with other parties has been tenuous, its alliance with the Shiv Sena, in spite of irritants, has been steady over time. Apart from the fact that both are pitted against the Congress and NCP, their antipathy towards non-Hindus also binds them together.

But the Shiv Sena is limited to Maharashtra while the BJP is a national party. That’s why it should think beyond the compulsions of alliance politics at state level. There are times when the BJP leaders try to show that they are liberal. But their differential treatment to Taslima Nasreen and M.F. Husain and their stance in the present Maharashtra crisis makes their position suspect. L.K. Advani wants the freedom of expression made available to Nasreen but he is quiet when it comes to Husain.

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