Uddhav Thackeray, Balasaheb
Thackeray’s son, went back to his father’s words when he saw a rebellion brewing
within the Shiv Sena
has the power to engulf the Maharashtra government, the
Shiv Sena and the position of the Thackeray family in Maharashtra polity.

In 1992, Bal
Thackeray, writing an article for party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ stated, “Even if
one Shiv Sainik stands against me and my family and says I left the Shiv Sena
because you or you hurt us, I am not prepared to continue as Shiv Sena chief
for one moment.”

The statement had
its desired effect. Shiv Sainiks thronged ‘Matoshri’, Bal Thackeray’s home, and
the move led to him consolidating his grip within his party to an extent that
he wouldn’t see another rebellion in 20 years.

On Wednesday, faced
with the rebellion from Eknath Shinde, a long-time Shiv Sainik, Uddhav
Thackeray echoed his father’s comments. In a statement issued through Facebook
Live, the Maharashtra chief minister said he would announce his resignation as
chief minister.

Invoking the
loyalty of Shiv Sainiks, Uddhav said he would resign if party MLAs told him to
step down face-to-face. He added that he would take measures to address
grievances about his style of functioning. He said that he is not one to hanker
after a post and that he only took the CM’s chair because the NCP and Congress
asked him to.

About claims that
he was inaccessible, Uddhav Thackeray said he was unavailable only on account
of his spine surgery and the long recovery period. The Sena chief’s emotional
address
drew in supporters to his home after he left the chief minister’s
residence.

However, the real-world
impact of Uddhav invoking Balasaheb remains to be seen. As of Thursday morning,
Eknath Shinde seems well on his way to pull off a successful rebellion. The
rebel camp claims to have 36 MLAs on its side, although the claim about numbers
have changed every hour. The Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The BJP has 106 and needs 37 more to form government.