Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: A few days ago, when Eknath Shinde’s convoy was passing through Chandivali in Mumbai, a youth named Santosh Katke confronted him and branded him 'gaddar' (traitor) rattling the Maharashtra Chief Minister, who had rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray two-and-a-half-years ago.
A street-smart politician, Shinde stopped to confront the protesters, who then sought refuge inside a Congress office.
However, he followed them inside, questioning their behaviour and asked police officers to apprehend them. The protesters were later released.
A day later, Thackeray, who now commands Shiv Sena (UBT) with the flaming torch symbol, welcomed both Santosh Katke and his father, Sadhu Katke, into the party. Santosh’s brother, Sainath Katke, is a Shiv Sena (UBT) 'shakha pramukh'. "He is a 'gaddar'," said Santosh Katke after his formal entry into the party.
After the split in the undivided Shiv Sena in June-July 2022, when Shinde toppled the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and took control of the party with the iconic bow and arrow symbol, the term ‘gaddar’ became one of the most-used terms in Maharashtra politics. A year later, when Ajit Pawar rebelled against Sharad Pawar and took control of the NCP with its well-known clock symbol, the usage of the term 'gaddar' increased further. Sharad Pawar’s outfit is now known as NCP (SP) and has the man-blowing-tutari symbol.
The back-to-back splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP was a major issue during the Lok Sabha polls and also the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls.
While in the current scenario, Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya, and close family aide Sanjay Raut have started using expressions like 'gaddar' and 'pannas khokhe', Sharad Pawar has also started using the term 'gaddar' in his election rallies.
After the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - which was unveiled in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - collapsed in Sindhudurg, the word was used again. Even though Modi tendered an apology, the Maha Vikas Aghadi was quickly slammed him.
“There was arrogance on his face even while offering the apology, which is unacceptable. Was the apology for the collapse of the statue, for the corruption involved, or to cover up the corruption? The public will not forgive those who insulted Maharaj. We are standing in front of the Gateway of India, but we will not rest until these traitors to Shivaji Maharaj are thrown out of India,” Thackeray had said.
In his rallies, Thackeray uses the expression 'gaddar' several times. “Teach these ‘gaddars’ a lesson,” he says - and it did work in the Lok Sabha polls.
During the current campaign, Sharad Pawar, too, was heard using the expression.
After the NCP split, Ajit Pawar had taken a jibe at his uncle on the 1978 move against the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil. However, Sharad Pawar had replied, “In our times, there was no rebellion. We used to sit and decide. So there was no such thing (rebellion). It was a mutual decision so there was no question of anyone complaining."
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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