Thackeray, who had made fiery speeches on Hindutva to garner votes for Prabhoo, was found guilty of corrupt practices under the RPA by the high court on April 7, 1989, along with Prabhoo. The Sena tiger filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, which stayed the high court order. Subsequently, the apex court too dismissed Thackeray’s appeal on December 11, 1995, and disfranchised him for six years. In November 1997, the issue was referred to the EC. In his defence, Thackeray argued through his lawyer that he had never contested any election and would not do so in future. He also pointed out that six years had already expired and that the order against him was issued without

application of mind and law. However, the EC endorsed the SC order and Thackeray lost the right to vote for six years — until December 10, 2001.

Although the punishment did not make the Shiv Sena overhaul its politics, it definitely made the party a little more cautious about its public statements. Over the years, it seems to have learnt to control its rhetoric and adhere to the model code of conduct during elections. Prabhoo, incidentally, left the Sena on the eve of the 2004 assembly elections and unsuccessfully contested as a rebel. He is now with the NCP.

The Sena’s aggressive tone seems to have mellowed since that point. But this is mainly because the tiger himself has grown old, and his son and party executive president, Uddhav Thackeray, is relatively more soft-spoken. The Sena retained its hold over the municipal corporation in Mumbai recently, not on the Hindutva agenda, but issues like the welfare of the ‘Marathi manoos’.

... contd.