A New Year That Began With Questions Rather Than Answers

Gudi Padwa, which is the Marathi community’s New Year’s Day, is widely celebrated in all parts of Maharashtra, including the state’s capital city, Mumbai. This year, as usual, colourful processions were taken out in various cities of the state, and the day was celebrated with lots of enthusiasm. But, perhaps, more noteworthy were two events from the political sphere, which attracted the attention of citizens and political observers alike. One was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, headquarters in Nagpur, where some very important discussions reportedly happened between him and the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, and the second was Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s customary rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The scale and the influence of the leaders at both these events obviously varied a lot, but the media in Maharashtra and the rest of the country reported these events as significant in terms of what could be expected in the coming year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the RSS headquarters was seen by many as a trendsetting event. The relations between the RSS and the BJP have been watched in the past few years by all political observers, and there was a sense among them that many times the RSS chief was seen and heard giving instructions on how the top leadership of the BJP should carry out governance. Many a time there were indications that certain things were lacking, and sometimes Bhagwat actually gave correctional suggestions to the government and its leaders. This created an impression in the national media and among the public that there was, perhaps, some communication gap between the RSS and the BJP. This gap was filled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nagpur on the auspicious day of Gudi Padwa, and the discussions between him and the RSS chief were seen by most observers as an attempt by the Prime Minister to iron out all perceived communication gaps between the two organisations, which have worked in tandem most of the times in the past.

The meeting and the discussion also gave rise to speculation in the media about whether PM Narendra Modi was seeking the full backing of the RSS for his future political endeavours. What will transpire out of this is only in the realm of speculation right now, and it is too early to make any predictions, but there is no doubt that the meeting between these two top leaders was very significant, and some effects of what was discussed and decided in the talks will be seen on the ground in the near future. Discussions started in the national media and social media about whether PM Modi was actively seeking the RSS support to continue as PM after the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Nagpur saw hectic activity all day on Gudi Padwa day because of the Prime Minister being active there, visiting various memorials of former RSS leaders. More questions were raised than answers given, following this all-important meeting between the Prime Minister and the RSS chief.

Back in the state capital Mumbai, in the second part of the day on Gudi Padwa, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray held his customary annual rally. Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray used to hold an annual rally on Dussehra day at the Shivaji Park, and Raj Thackeray decided to follow the tradition by holding a similar annual event at the same venue on Gudi Padwa day. The speech by Balasaheb Thackeray, on this auspicious day, was seen year after year by his followers as the political guideline as to which way his party was headed. For instance, when Balasaheb Thackeray decided to walk on the path of Hindutva in the late 1980s, the announcement and the explanation about why he was doing that came in the Dussehra rally. Balasaheb Thackeray’s guidance was always clear, decisive and firm in its messaging.

However, the followers of Raj Thackeray, who tries to imitate Balasaheb in every manner, were left confused at the end of his speech about whether he wants to oppose the ruling BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra or support it. During most of his speech, at least the first part of it, Raj Thackeray seemed to launch an attack against the ruling party about the way the environment was being damaged due to massive events, such as Kumbh, and then in the second half of the speech, he suddenly announced that if the BJP was willing to listen to the MNS on the issues faced by the Maharashtrian population (Marathi Manoos), his party would be ready to support it in the upcoming polls! This, again, raises questions about which way Raj Thackeray is headed and what he expects from the BJP in the civic polls of 2025. Does he expect a seat-sharing deal or something else, and what will be his approach?

As usual, at the end of his speech, Raj Thackeray left the audience and his followers confused about what his plans were and what he meant to do. Whether it was Nagpur or Mumbai, Gudi Padwa undoubtedly saw some very big political events unfolding, catering to different issues, but there was one thing common in both: more questions were created than answers given!

Rohit Chandavarkar is a senior journalist who has worked for 31 years with various leading newspaper brands and television channels in Mumbai and Pune