Rift out in open as Uddhav Thackeray curbs Sanjay Raut's pen drive

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's snub to Sanjay Raut for the 'ban the burqa' editorial in Saamna on Wednesday is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in the Sena and has brought to the fore the uneasy ties between Raut and Matoshree, observers said.


The Sena distanced itself from Raut's editorial lest, it is said, it affect BJP's poll prospects in the

Lok Sabha elections

. Raut is executive editor of party mouthpiece Saamna. There is talk in the Sena that Raut, highly critical of BJP in the past few years, was opposed to a saffron alliance as he felt BJP might cut Sena down to size in the longer run.

A section in the party feels the way Raut was ticked off by Uddhav was unfair, as the Sena president asked party spokesperson Neelam Gorhe to put out a statement disowning the editorial. "Raut has been taking on BJP for over four years. After Uddhavji publicly said, during the 2017 BMC election campaign, that Sena lost 25 precious years by teaming up with BJP, Raut stepped up the onslaught on BJP, trying to revive the party's combative spirit," said a Sainik from Andheri.

Another Sena middle-rung worker said there was no need for the party to worry if the Saamna editorial would embarrass the ally in the poll campaign. "Sena's partnership with BJP is restricted to Maharashtra, where elections are over," the worker said. After having approved of attacks on BJP, "now Uddhavji wants Raut to tone down his criticism of BJP, and the latter is in no mood to pay heed to the sage advice," he added.

An ex-MP who belongs to the party's old guard said Raut thinks that by cosying up to BJP, Sena may lose its Marathi identity and may be reduced to being BJP's "B-team."

"Uddhavji should not be seen as depending on a small coterie for decisions. In the case of the editorial, Uddhavji should have issued a statement in his own name instead of assigning the task to a spokesperson," he said.