Writing for the Outlook in the ‘90s, the noted Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar chose these words to comment on his former Free Press Journal colleague and Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray’s brand of politics:
“Thackeray can hold the country to ransom because of his lack of ideological convention. As a result, he can move in any direction—he does not have a friend and he does not have an enemy. That is a very enviable position.”
In 53 years of its existence, Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has flirted and had flings with political parties from across the spectrum and indulged in alliances that have defied conventional political wisdom, proven political pundits and their predictions horribly wrong.
By Omkar Poojari