100-407: Bal Keshav Thackeray ( Marathi pronunciation: [baːɭ̆ keːʃəʋ ʈʰaːk(ə)ɾeː] ; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray , was an Indian cartoonist and politician who founded the original Shiv Sena , a right-wing pro- Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra . Thackeray began his professional career as a cartoonist with
200-651: A Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti , which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers. He also started a magazine named Prabodhan, where he promoted Hindu philosophies and nationalistic ideals to revive Hindutva in society. This proved to be highly influential in shaping Bal Thackeray's political views. Bal was the eldest of eight siblings, with brothers Shrikant Thackeray (father of Raj Thackeray ) and Ramesh Thackeray, and five sisters (Sanjeevani Karandikar, Prabhavati (Pama) Tipnis, Malati (Sudha) Sule, Sarla Gadkari and Susheela Gupte). Raj broke away from Shiv Sena to form his own political party called
300-561: A " moral police " and opposed Valentine's Day celebrations. On 14 February 2006, Bal Thackeray condemned and apologised for the violent attacks by its Shiv Sainiks on a private celebration in Mumbai. "It is said that women were beaten up in the Nallasopara incident. If that really happened, then it is a symbol of cowardice. I have always instructed Shiv Sainiks that in any situation women should not be humiliated and harassed." Thackeray and
400-412: A "Marathi icon", for saying he was an Indian before he was a Maharashtrian. Thackeray firmly opposed caste based reservation and said, "There are only two castes in the world, the rich are rich and the poor is poor, make the poor rich but don't make the rich poor. Besides these two castes I don't believe in any other casteism." The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) supported caste-based reservations based on
500-673: A "sad spectacle" by Supreme Court of India , and draw criticism from Political Observers. Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post as chief minister well as a MLC member ahead of no-confidence motion on 29 June 2022. Shinde subsequently formed a new coalition with the BJP, and was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 30 June 2022. Uddhav Thackeray filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of India claiming that Eknath Shinde and his group's actions meant that they were disqualified under
600-549: A 1993 interview, Thackeray stated, "There is nothing wrong if Muslims are treated as Jews were in Nazi Germany ." In another 1992 interview, Thackeray stated, "If you take Mein Kampf and if you remove the word 'Jew' and put in the word 'Muslim', that is what I believe in". Indian Express published an interview on 29 January 2007: "Hitler did very cruel and ugly things. But he was an artist, I love him [for that]. He had
700-524: A 1995 film on the riots, was opposed by them. On 28 July 1999, Thackeray was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years from 11 December 1999 till 10 December 2005 on the recommendations of the Election Commission for indulging in corrupt practice by seeking votes in the name of religion. In 2000, he was arrested for his role in the riots but was released because the statute of limitations expired. In 2002, Thackeray issued
800-460: A 2015 Marathi film is loosely expected to be based on the ideologies of Bal Thackeray, the film contains voice clippings of Thackeray's political career. A Bollywood biopic titled Thackeray , starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and written by Shiv Sena politician Sanjay Raut , was released on 25 January 2019. Makarand Padhye played Balasaheb Thakeray in the 2022 Marathi film Dharmaveer , based on
900-556: A 21-year-old woman who posted a Facebook comment against him, as well as her friend who "liked" the comment. Shiv Sena members, who took it as an insult, vandalised the clinic owned by the woman's relative. The charges were subsequently dropped, and the Government of Maharashtra was ordered to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to each victim after the National Human Rights Commission noted that the detention
1000-476: A Mumbai-based cartoonist, began publishing the satirical cartoon weekly Marmik . Through this publication, he started disseminating anti-migrant sentiments. On 19 June 1966, Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a political organisation. The Shiv Sena attracted many unemployed Marathi youth, who were attracted by Thackeray's charged anti-migrant oratory. Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against
1100-434: A ban on a scheduled concert by Pakistani classic singer Ghulam Ali . The move was adopted to appease anti-Pakistan constituents to vote for Sena in coming elections. However, in 2015 Pakistan urged the international community to take note of the activities of Shiv Sena, while Shiv Sena claimed that criticism of Shiv Sena by Pakistan vindicates "our patriotism". On 19 October 2015, Shiv Sena activists attacked and vandalised
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#17327971901951200-495: A broader Hindu nationalist agenda, and aligned itself with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Shiv Sena took part in Mumbai ( BMC ) municipal elections for its entire existence. In 1989, it entered into an alliance with the BJP for Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. The alliance in the latter was temporarily broken in the 2014 elections due to seat sharing adjustment, although it
1300-728: A call to form Hindu suicide bomber squads to take on the menace of terrorism. In response, the Maharashtra government registered a case against him for inciting enmity between different groups. At least two organisations founded and managed by retired Indian Army officers, Lt Col Jayant Rao Chitale and Lt Gen. P.N. Hoon (former commander-in-chief of the Western Command), responded to the call with such statements as not allowing Pakistanis to work in India due to accusations against Pakistan for supporting attacks in India by militants. After
1400-563: A command and control centre of the party in Bal–Uddhava's regime. Following is the list of the chief ministers of Maharashtra from Shiv Sena. The Sena says it has played a central role in the emancipation of 500,000 slum dwellers in the Dharavi area of Mumbai, the largest slum in Asia. However, the policy of giving free houses to slum dwellers has been controversial since it was introduced by
1500-511: A day". Shiv Sena organized a blood donation camp which collected over 24,000 bottles of blood in a single day. Later this world record was broken by a blood donation camp of HDFC Bank in 2014. In 2015 Shiv Sena announced 10,000 rupees help to each drought-affected farmer of Marathwada region, while they also announced 2 lakh rupees "reward" to Hindus family who had 5 children between 2010 and 2015 in Uttar Pradesh . As per Shiv Sena,
1600-561: A great leader. In 2002, when President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam unveiled a portrait of Savarkar in the presence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee , the Congress Party opposed the unveiling of the portrait and boycotted the function. Thackeray criticised the opposition and said, "Who is [Congress president and Leader of the Opposition] Sonia Gandhi to object to the portrait? What relation does she have with
1700-440: A meeting with them he supported the idea that Kashmiri Pandits could be armed for their self-defence against Jihadis . Thackeray was married to Meena Thackeray (née Sarla Vaidya) on 13 June 1948 and had three sons, oldest son Bindumadhav, middle son Jaidev, and youngest son Uddhav . Meena died in 1995 and Bindumadhav died the following year in a car accident. Thackeray died on 17 November 2012, of cardiac arrest . Mumbai came to
1800-440: A network of grassroots organizations, known as " Shiv Sena Shakhas " ( transl. Branch ). The Shakhas serve as the primary unit of the party, with each Shakha consisting of 25-50 members. The Shakhas were responsible for carrying out the party's activities at the grassroots level, such as mobilizing voters during elections, organizing protests and rallies, and engaging in community service activities. In addition to
1900-432: A separate party. Addressing a press conference, Shiv Sena's North India chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal said the decision to leave the party was taken because of the partial attitude of the party high command towards Maharashtrians. Goyal further said that Shiv Sena is no different from Khalistan and Jammu and Kashmir militant groups which are trying to create a rift between people along regional lines. The main aim of these forces
2000-631: A virtual halt immediately as news about his death broke out, with shops and commercial establishments shutting down. The entire state of Maharashtra was put on high alert. The police appealed for calm and 20,000 Mumbai police officers, 15 units of the State Reserve Police Force and three contingents of the Rapid Action Force were deployed. It was reported that Shiv Sena workers forced shops to close down in some areas. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for calm in
2100-504: Is Brahmins , Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu and Pathare Prabhus - Thackerey, Manohar Joshi , Sudhir Joshi , Balwant Mantri, Hemchandra Gupte, Shyam Deshmukh, Madhav Deshpande, Datta Pradhan, Vijay Parvatkar, Madhukar Sarpotdar and Pramod Navalkar . One of the above-mentioned leaders, Hemchandra Gupte, who was Mayor of Bombay in the early 70s and was the former family physician and confidant of Thackeray, quit Shivsena citing flaws such as importance given to money, violence committed by
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#17327971901952200-689: Is against both Indian culture and the law of the land (under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code), though according to the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, kissing in public is not a criminal offence. Police took many of the Kiss of Love protestors into custody to save their lives, but were blamed for giving a free hand to counter protestors of the right wing groups. In October 2015, Shiv Sena issued threats which enforced
2300-696: Is to split our country. Like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena , the Shiv Sena too has demeaned North Indians and treated them inhumanely. Thackeray declared that he was not against every Muslim, but only those who reside in this country but do not obey the laws of the land...I consider such people [to be] traitors. The Shiv Sena is viewed by the media as being anti-Muslim, though Shiv sena members officially reject this accusation. When explaining his views on Hindutva , he equated Islam with violence and called on Hindus to fight terrorism and fight Islam . In an interview with Suketu Mehta, he called for
2400-460: The 1975 Emergency to avoid getting arrested; Thackeray supported the Congress party numerous times. Dr. Hemchandra Gupte, Mayor of Mumbai and the former family physician and confidant of Thackeray, left Shiv Sena in 1976 citing the emphasis given to money, violence committed by the Shiv Sena members, and Thackeray's support for Indira Gandhi and the 1975 emergency. Politically, the Shiv Sena
2500-665: The 1992–1993 Bombay riots . After the Independence of India in 1947, regional administrative divisions from the colonial era were gradually changed and states following linguistic borders were created. Within the Bombay Presidency , a massive popular struggle was launched for the creation of a state for the Marathi-speaking people. In 1960, the presidency was divided into two linguistic states: Gujarat and Maharashtra . Moreover, Marathi-speaking areas of
2600-527: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena candidates fought on BJP's lotus symbol. The party began a coalition with the BJP for seats in the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly from 1989. The two formed a government in Maharashtra between 1995 and 1999. The Sena was the opposition party in the state along with the BJP from 1999 to 2014. However, the 25 year alliance with the BJP
2700-586: The Congress . The organisation at the same time carried out pro- Marathi nativist movement in Mumbai in which it agitated for preferential treatment for the Marathi people over migrants from other parts of India. Although Shiv Sena's primary base always remained in Maharashtra , it tried to expand to a pan-Indian base. In the 1970s, it gradually moved from advocating a pro-Marathi ideology to supporting
2800-607: The Indian National Congress and Nationalist Congress Party Following the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis , the party split. The party once had a powerful hold over the Hindi film industry . It has been accused of being an " extremist ", " chauvinist " , or " fascist " party. Shiv Sena has been allegedly involved in the 1970 communal violence in Bhiwandi , the 1984 Bhiwandi riot , and violence in
2900-549: The Indian Railways due to an overlimit of the quota in their home provinces, Thackeray also said of Bihari MPs that they were spitting in the same plate from which they ate when they criticised Mumbaikars and Maharashtrians. He wrote: "They are trying to add fuel to the fire that has been extinguished, by saying that Mumbaikars have rotten brains." He also criticised Chhath Puja , a holiday celebrated by Biharis and those from eastern Uttar Pradesh, which occurs on six days of
3000-475: The Konkan coastal areas. However, in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections the result was reversed. The Shiv Sena made inroads in the interior parts of the state, while suffering losses in Mumbai. In July 2005, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena leader Narayan Rane was expelled from the party, which sparked internal conflict in the party. In December the same year Raj Thackeray , Bal Thackeray's nephew, left
3100-526: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena . Despite Raj's breakaway from the main party, he continues to maintain that Thackeray was his ideologue and relations between them improved during Thackeray's final years. Thackeray began his career as a cartoonist in the Free Press Journal in Mumbai. His cartoons were also published in the Sunday edition of The Times of India . After Thackeray's differences with
Bal Thackeray - Misplaced Pages Continue
3200-539: The Maharashtra government and the event was broadcast live on national television channels. The Parliament of India opened for its winter session on 21 November 2012. Thackeray was the only non-member to be noted in its traditional list of obituaries. He is one of few people to have been recorded thus without being a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. Despite having not held any official position, he
3300-503: The Marathi Hindu Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community. His father Keshav was an admirer of India-born British writer William Makepeace Thackeray , and changed his own surname from Panvelkar to "Thackeray" an Anglicised version of their ancestral surname "Thakre". Bal's father was a journalist and cartoonist by profession; he was also a social activist and a writer who was involved in
3400-795: The Rashtriya Janata Dal , Janata Dal (United) , Samajwadi Party and the Indian National Congress , to give notice for breach of privilege proceedings against Thackeray. After the matter was raised in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said: "If anybody has made any comment on our members' functioning in the conduct of business in the House, not only do we treat that with the contempt that it deserves, but also any action that may be necessary will be taken according to procedure and well established norms. Nobody will be spared.'" In 2009, he criticised Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar ,
3500-693: The Shakhas , the party has various other organizational structures, including the Yuva Sena , ( transl. Youth Army ) party's youth wing, and the Mahila Aghadi , the party's women's wing. The Shiv Sena is also affiliated with the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti , which advocates for the preservation of employment rights for Maharashtrians in Maharashtra. Prior to the rebellion by its prominent leader Eknath Shinde in 2022,
3600-468: The Shivsainiks ( transl. Soldiers ) and Bal Thackeray's support to then prime minister Indira Gandhi during the 1975 emergency . There were also leaders from other castes such as Dattaji Salvi , Dattaji Nalawade and Wamanrao Mahadik , and those from the so-called lower castes such as Chaggan Bhujbal , Leeladhar Dake , Bhai Shingre and Vijay Gaonkar. Over the years, other than
3700-504: The anti-defection law , with Eknath Shinde claiming that he has not defected, but rather represents the true Shiv Sena party. The case is currently being heard by Supreme Court of India . The parties split into two factions: Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena led by Shinde and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) led by Thackeray. Shinde subsequently filed a petition with the Election Commission of India staking his claim to
3800-681: The "remote control" chief minister. Thackeray and the Chief Minister Manohar Joshi were explicitly named for inciting the Shivsainiks for violence against Muslims during the 1992–1993 riots in an inquiry ordered by the government of India , the Srikrishna Commission Report. Thackeray had influence in the film industry. His party workers agitated against films he found controversial and would disrupt film screenings, causing losses. Bombay ,
3900-597: The 'Shiv Sena' name and the Bow and Arrow symbol. The ECI ruled in favour of Shinde's faction based on the strength of its legislative wing, rather than on the organizational wing. Thackeray appealed against the decision, and the case is currently pending in the Supreme Court. The Shiv Sena (SS) was led by a president, traditionally referred to as the " Shiv Sena Pramukh ", ( transl. Chief ) which translates to "Shiv Sena Chief" in English. Bal Thackeray served as
4000-425: The 1970s, it did not succeed in the local elections and it was active mainly in Mumbai, compared to the rest of the state. The party set up local branch offices and settled disputes, complaints against the government. It later started violent tactics with attacks against rival parties, migrants and the media; the party agitated by destroying public and private property. Thackeray publicly supported Indira Gandhi during
4100-566: The Bal Thackeray, there have been twelve senior leaders in the party, out of these, eight have been from upper caste (four were Brahmins , two Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu and two Pathare Prabhus ). Others have been either Maratha ( Dattaji Salvi ), Shimpi ( Wamanrao Mahadik ), Agri ( Leeladhar Dake ) or Mali ( Chaggan Bhujbal ). In fact, Bhujbal quit the party accusing the party is biased towards upper caste people. The number of Dalits were also not insignificant and even after
Bal Thackeray - Misplaced Pages Continue
4200-576: The Emergency in 1975 and supported the Congress in the 1977 general election . In 1980 Maharashtra Assembly election , the party did not contest from any seat however it campaigned for the Congress. The Sena started placing more weight on the Hindutva ideology in the 1970s as the 'sons of the soil' cause was weakening. In the 1984 general election , Shiv Sena formed its first alliance with
4300-630: The English-language daily, The Free Press Journal in Bombay , but he left the paper in 1960 to form his own political weekly, Marmik . His political philosophy was largely shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray , a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers. Through Marmik , Bal Thackeray campaigned against
4400-593: The Free Press Journal, he and four or five people, including politician George Fernandes , left the paper and started their own daily, News Day. The paper survived for one or two months. In 1960, he launched the cartoon weekly Marmik with his brother Srikant. It focused on issues of common "Marathi Manoos" ( Marathi , or Marathi-speaking, people) including unemployment, immigration and the retrenchment of Marathi workers. Its office in Ranade Road became
4500-582: The Godfatheresque-Sarkar, super-hit thriller was inspired by the life of Bal Thackeray and North Indian politics. In this Amitabh Bachchan 's character was inspired by Thackeray The 2011 documentary Jai Bhim Comrade depicted a speech by Thackeray at a public rally, in which he articulated "genocidal sentiments" about Muslims, stating that they were the "species to be exterminated." The documentary followed this by showing several Dalit leaders criticising Thackeray for his beliefs. Balkadu
4600-498: The Hindu month of Kartik. He said that it was not a real holiday. This was reportedly a response to MPs from Bihar who had disrupted the proceedings of the Lok Sabha in protest to the attacks on North Indians. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar , upset with the remarks, called on the prime minister and the central government to intervene in the matter. A Saamna editorial prompted at least 16 MPs from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, belonging to
4700-495: The Mandal commission. Thackarey, despite being warned that opposition to the reservations would be politically suicidal for the Shiv Sena party, opposed the BJP over this issue and said he would initiate proceedings against the BJP if the BJP supported caste-based reservations. This also led to his conflict with Chhagan Bhujbal , an OBC , who later left the Shiv Sena. Thackeray defended Savarkar against criticism and praised him as
4800-545: The New Zealander cartoonist David Low as his inspiration. The success of Marmik prompted Thackeray to form the Shiv Sena on 19 June 1966. The name Shiv Sena ( Shivaji 's Army) is a reference to the 17th century Maratha Emperor Shivaji . Initially, Thackeray said it was not a political party but an army of Shivaji Maharaj, inclined to fight for the Marathi maanus (person). It demanded that native speakers of
4900-516: The Sena opposed the reservations proposed by the Mandal commission , there was no dent in the percentage of Other Backward Class in the party. In this way, the Sena was successful in uniting all Maharashtrians irrespective of caste under the common "Marathi umbrella". The agenda of preferential treatment for the "sons of the soil" that is Maharashtrians brought them all together. Shiv Sena's strength in
5000-574: The Sena's newspaper Saamna was launched by Thackeray. Because of Thackeray being against the Mandal Commission report, his close aide Chhagan Bhujbal left the party in 1991. Following the 1992 Bombay riots , Thackeray took stances viewed as anti-Muslim and based on Hindutva . Shiv Sena later allied itself with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won the 1995 Maharashtra State Assembly elections and were in power from 1995 to 1999. Thackeray declared himself to be
5100-409: The Shiv Sena has done little to solve the problem of unemployment facing a large proportion of Maharashtrian youth during its tenure, in contradiction to its ideological foundation of 'sons of the soil.' In 2006, Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray broke away from Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) during Thackeray's retirement and appointment of his son, Uddhav rather than Raj as
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#17327971901955200-432: The Shiv Sena remained opposed to it, although they indicated support for an "Indian alternative". On 20 November 2009, Shiv Sena activists attacked and vandalised the offices of Hindi and Marathi language TV news channels IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat , located in Mumbai and Pune respectively. The Shivsainik slapped IBN7's senior editor Ravindra Ambekar and then attacked IBN-Lokmat's editor Nikhil Wagle. Shiv Sena attributed
5300-473: The Shiv Sena remained opposed to it, although they indicated support for an Indian alternative. In 2007, he was briefly arrested and let out on bail after referring to Muslims as 'Green Poison' during a Shiv Sena rally. On 27 March 2008, in protest to Thackeray's editorial, leaders of Shiv Sena in Delhi resigned, citing its outrageous conduct towards non-Marathis in Maharashtra and announced that they would form
5400-496: The South Indian communities, vandalizing South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire Marathis. Initially apolitical, the organisation was patronised by the then Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik who used it for curbing trade unions and maintain stranglehold of the Congress. Because of its close association with Vasantrao, the organisation was also referred to as "Vasant Sena". The Shiv Sena declared support to
5500-452: The attacks to the criticisms of Bal Thackeray by the news channel over his remarks on Sachin Tendulkar . Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut described the attacks as "spontaneous". Shiv Sena spokespersons tried to justify the attacks and refused to apologize for their acts of violence. On 18 November 2012, following the death of founder Bal Thackeray , Mumbai Police , under the pressure of Shiv Sena workers and activists, arrested
5600-417: The city and praised Thackeray's "strong leadership", while there were also statements of praise and condolences from other senior politicians such as the then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leader and MP (Former Deputy Prime Minister of India), L. K. Advani . He was accorded a state funeral at Shivaji Park , which generated some controversy and resulted from demands made by Shiv Sena. It
5700-432: The country? How much does she know about the history and culture of India?". Years later, when Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh made a statement that Savarkar was allegedly the first one to suggest the two-nation theory that led to the partition , Thackeray rejected the statement of Singh. In 1990, Bal Thackeray got seats reserved in engineering colleges for the children of Kashmiri Pandits in Maharashtra. At
5800-713: The cricket pitch of the Agra Sport Stadium which was supposed to host the cricket match between Pakistan and India. In April 2005, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the student wing of Shiv Sena, attempted to prevent the India-Pakistan One-day international match being held in New Delhi. The protester's spokesman demanded: India should not play cricket with Pakistan till it hands over to India 20 terrorists, including Dawood Ibrahim , and closes down militant training camps running there. The Sena acted as
5900-489: The erstwhile Hyderabad state were joined with Maharashtra. Bombay, in many ways the economic capital of India, became the state capital of Maharashtra. On one hand, people belonging to the Gujarati community owned the majority of the industry and trade enterprises in the city. On the other hand, there was a steady flow of South Indian migrants to the city who came to take many white-collar jobs. In 1960, Bal Thackeray ,
6000-406: The first Shiv Sena Pramukh and took all major decisions while the activists and members of the Shiv Sena, known as Shiv Sainiks , ( transl. Soldiers ) carried out most of the party's grassroots work. During his last days, the day-to-day activities of the party were handled by his youngest son Uddhav Thackeray, who succeeded him as party leader after his death in 2012. Shiv Sena formed
6100-403: The first time ever, Thackeray family directly participated in election when Aditya contested for a seat of MLA in 2019. Later, his father debuted in direct politics and became chief minister of the state. Aditya was the tourism minister his father's cabinet . People of various Maharashtrian castes worked together in the Sena. The party's leaders mostly came from the so-called "high castes" that
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#17327971901956200-433: The growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai. He had a large political influence in the state, especially in Mumbai . In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thackeray built the Shiv Sena with help of Madhav Mehere, Chief Attorney for Trade Union of India, Babasaheb Purandare , historian for Govt of Maharashtra and Madhav Deshpande, Head Accountant for Shiv Sena. These three individuals to a large extent were responsible for
6300-454: The ideology of Marathi regionalism under the leadership of Bal Thackeray . However, the party shifted towards ultranationalism and right-wing populism over time, which helped them form an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) . When Uddhav Thackeray became the party leader, he gradually shifted towards composite nationalism and formed an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This shift in ideology
6400-734: The late 1980s and early '90s mainly came from the support of the Maratha caste - which it drew away from the Congress. Citing the large percentage of MLAs elected from Shiv Sena belonging to the Maratha caste, Vora from the University of Pune concludes that the Shiv Sena has been emerging as a "Maratha Party". Shivsena Bhavan ( transl. House ), was the central office of the Shiv Sena, located in Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk and Shivaji Park in Dadar , Mumbai . It
6500-640: The leader of Bastar who often regarded as the Thackeray of Bastar. A memorial for him was proposed at Shivaji Park but legal issues and opposition from local residents continue to delay it. Thackeray is satirised in Salman Rushdie 's 1995 novel The Moor's Last Sigh as 'Raman Fielding'. The book was banned by the Maharashtra state government. Suketu Mehta interviewed Thackeray in his critically acclaimed, Pulitzer-nominated , non-fiction 2004 book Maximum City . In 2005, Ram Gopal Varma directed
6600-530: The leader of Shiv Sena. Narayan Rane also quit around that time. The Sena acted as a " moral police " and opposed Valentine's Day celebrations. On 14 February 2006, Thackeray condemned and apologised for the violent attacks by its Shiv Sainiks on a private celebration in Mumbai. "It is said that women were beaten up in the Nallasopara incident. If that really happened, then it is a symbol of cowardice. I have always instructed Shiv Sainiks that in any situation women should not be humiliated and harassed." Thackeray and
6700-498: The life of Shiv Sena politician Anand Dighe . Dushyant Wagh played Thackeray in the 2023 Marathi film Maharashtra Shahir based on the life of Padma Shri Shahir Sable . Shiv Sena (1966%E2%80%932022) Shiv Sena (1966–2022) ( Śhiva Sēnā ; lit. ' Army of Shivaji ' ; abbr. SS ) was a right-wing Marathi regionalist Hindutva -based political party in India founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray , who
6800-602: The mass expulsion of illegal Bangladeshi Muslim migrants from India and for a visa system to enter Mumbai, the Indian National Congress state government had earlier during the Indira Gandhi declared national emergency considered a similar measure. He told India Today "[Muslims] are spreading like a cancer and should be operated on like a cancer. The country...should be saved from the Muslims and
6900-532: The name of religion. Thackeray was arrested multiple times and spent a brief stint in prison, but he never faced any major legal repercussions. Upon his death, he was accorded a state funeral , at which many mourners were present. Thackeray did not held any official positions, and he was never formally elected as the leader of his party. Thackeray was born on 23 January 1926 in Pune , the son of Prabodhankar Thackeray and his wife Ramabai Thackeray. The family belongs to
7000-412: The next ten years. Senior leaders such as Babasaheb Purandare , chief attorney for Trade Union of Maharashtra Madhav Mehere joined the party and chartered accountant Madhav Gajanan Deshpande backed various aspects of the party operations. In 1969, Thackeray and Manohar Joshi were jailed after participating in a protest demanding the merger of Karwar , Belgaum and Nipani regions in Maharashtra. During
7100-469: The office of BCCI to stop a meeting between PCB and BCCI officials. The activists shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and held posters that read 'Shahryar Khan go back', determined to stop Manohar from meeting his Pakistani counterpart. Shiv Sena has also threatened to stop Pakistan's Aleem Dar from officiating in the fifth and final ODI between India and South Africa. On 23 March 2017, while travelling to Delhi from Pune , Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Gaikwad
7200-424: The party was in hand of Thackeray family , thus most of the important positions was hold by Bal Thackeray's son and grandson that is Uddhav and Aditya Thackeray respectively. Opposition parties frequently alleged Shiva Sena as a dynastic political party. Bal Thackeray never remained on any elected political position but he never vacated the position of Shiva Sena supremo and ruled as a Godfather or king maker. For
7300-552: The party. Raj Thackeray later founded a separate party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Although the MNS is a break-away group from the Shiv Sena, the party is still based in Bhumiputra ideology. When unveiling the party in an assembly at Shivaji Park he said, everyone is anxious to see what will happen to Hindutva and, "I shall elaborate on the party's stance on issues like Hindutva, its agenda for development of Maharashtra and
7400-617: The police should support them [Hindu Maha Sangh] in their struggle just like the police in Punjab were sympathetic to the Khalistanis." However, in an interview in 1998, he said that his stance had changed on many issues that the Shiv Sena had with Muslims, particularly regarding the Babri Mosque or Ram Janmabhoomi issue: "We must look after the Muslims and treat them as part of us." He also expressed admiration for Muslims in Mumbai in
7500-554: The power to carry the whole nation, the mob with him. You have to think what magic he had. He was a miracle...The killing of Jews was wrong. But the good part about Hitler was that he was an artist. He was a daredevil. He had good qualities and bad. I may also have good qualities and bad ones." Thackeray also praised Nathuram Godse , the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi , the leader of India's independence movement. In 2008, following agitation against Biharis and other north Indians travelling to Maharashtra to take civil service examinations for
7600-546: The rallying point for Marathi youth. Bal Thackeray later stated that it was "not just a cartoon weekly but also the prime reason for the birth and growth of the Sena". It was the issue of Marmik on 5 June 1966 which first announced the launch of membership for the Shiv Sena . Thackeray drew cartoons for the Free Press Journal , the Times of India and Marmik besides contributing to Saamna till 2012. He cited
7700-402: The rallying point for Marathi youth. It was Marmik issue on 5 June 1966 which first announced the launch of membership for the Shiv Sena. Bal Thackeray later stated "that not just a cartoon weekly but also the prime reason for the birth and growth of the Sena.". Bal Thackeray, started as a cartoonist for The Free Press Journal. In 1960 when he was 34, he quit his job and started Marmik . He
7800-687: The reason behind the "reward" was "decline in growth rate of Hindu population compared to Muslim population as per recent census". In January 2016, the Shiv Sena demanded that the words "secular" and "socialist" be "permanently removed" from the Constitution's Preamble which were added in the 42nd amendment during the emergency . In April 2019, party member Sanjay Raut called for the burqa to be banned. The Shiv Sena has been involved in several controversies, ranging from hooliganism, criminal activities, spreading religious bigotry, and moral policing. In December 2003, Shiv Sena activists damaged
7900-495: The significance of the party flag colours at the 19 March public meeting." Bal Thackeray's son Uddhav Thackeray became the party's leader in 2004, although Bal Thackeray continued to be an important figurehead. After the death of Bal Thackeray on 17 November 2012, Uddhav became the leader of the party but refused to take the title " Shiv Sena Pramukh " (Eng : Shiv Sena Supremo). The Shiv Sena party's ideology has undergone changes since its formation. Initially, it started with
8000-496: The six-year voting ban on Thackeray was lifted in 2005, he voted for the first time in the 2007 BMC elections. Eight or nine cases against Thackeray and Saamna for inflammatory writings were not investigated by the government. Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena had helped the Marathi people in Mumbai, especially in the public sector. Thackeray believed that Hindus must be organised to struggle against those who oppose their identity and religion. Opposition leftist parties alleged that
8100-535: The state's local language Marathi (the "sons of the soil" movement) be given preferential treatment in private and public sector jobs. The early objective of the Shiv Sena was to ensure their job security competing against South Indians and Gujaratis . In its 1966 party manifesto, Thackeray primarily blamed south Indians. In Marmik , Thackeray published a list of corporate officials from a local directory, many being south Indians, citing it as proof that Maharashtrians were being discriminated against. His party grew in
8200-454: The status of a demigod who could force an entire State to shut down with the mere threat of violence". Following his death, police arrested a 21-year-old woman who posted a Facebook comment against him, as well as her friend who "liked" the comment. Shiv Sena members also vandalised the clinic owned by the woman's relative. Thackeray was called Hindu Hriday Samrat ("Emperor of Hindu Hearts") by his supporters. His yearly address at Shivaji Park
8300-507: The success of Shiv Sena and stability of politics in Mumbai till 2000 to ensure it grows into an economic power center. Thackeray was also the founder of the Marathi-language newspaper Saamana . After the riots of 1992–93, he and his party took a Hindutva stance. In 1999, Thackeray was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years on the recommendations of the Election Commission for indulging in seeking votes in
8400-802: The then Shiv Sena-BJP government. In the 1970s, Shiv Sena was opposed to the Namantar Andolan , a Dalit -led movement to change the name of Marathwada University in Aurangabad to "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar University", and supported views of conservative Marathas. In 1996, Shiv Sena organised the first and only live concert of American pop icon Michael Jackson in India to raise the funds for its business wing and to help create over two-hundred seventy thousand jobs for people of Maharashtra . Shiv Sena got an entry in Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for "collecting maximum blood in
8500-403: The two minutes' silence on 18 July to mourn the blast victims. Again in 2008 he wrote: "Islamic terrorism is growing and Hindu terrorism is the only way to counter it. We need suicide bomb squads to protect India and Hindus." He also reiterated a desire for Hindus to unite across linguistic barriers to see a Hindustan for Hindus and to bring Islam in this country down to its knees. Thackeray
8600-551: The wake of the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists . In response to threats made by Abu Azmi , a leader of the Samajwadi Party , that accusations of terrorism directed at Indian Muslims would bring about communal strife, Thackeray said that the unity of Mumbaikars (residents of Mumbai) in the wake of the attacks was a slap to fanatics of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi and that Thackeray salute[s] those Muslims who participated in
8700-513: Was anti-communist , and wrested control of trade unions in Mumbai from the Communist Party of India (CPI). Local unemployed youth from the declining textile industry joined the party and it further expanded because of Maharashtrians from the Konkan region . By the 1980s, it became a threat to the ruling Congress party which had initially encouraged it because of it rivalling the CPI. In 1989,
8800-411: Was a significant departure from Shiv Sena's traditional stance, as the party had been historically opposed to the Congress and NCP for the majority of its existence. In late June 2022, Eknath Shinde , a senior Shiv Sena leader, and the majority of MLAs from Shiv Sena joined hands with the BJP. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called for a trust vote, an action that would later on be described as
8900-399: Was accused of thrashing Air India staff with his shoe, when they tried to make him disembark the plane, after being denied a business class seat because the flight was all-economy. The Delhi Police had charged him with hitting government staff on duty, as well as taking the plane ransom without departing from the plane. The incident led to the creation of No-Fly List in India, and Gaikwad
9000-411: Was criticised for his praise of Adolf Hitler . He was quoted by Asiaweek as saying: "I am a great admirer of Hitler, and I am not ashamed to say so! I do not say that I agree with all the methods he employed, but he was a wonderful organiser and orator, and I feel that he and I have several things in common...What India really needs is a dictator who will rule benevolently, but with an iron hand." In
9100-540: Was first inaugurated on 19 June 1977, and refurbished and re-inaugurated on 27 July 2006. It has a Copper Statue of Shivaji Maharaj and a large Poster of Bal Thackeray . In the 1993 Bombay bombings , terrorists planted a powerful bomb in Shivsena Bhavan; it exploded and the building received damage. Matoshri , the house of Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray was an important building in this party. Many high-profile meetings usually held in it. It worked as
9200-489: Was given the 21-gun salute , which was again a rare honour. Both houses of Bihar Assembly also paid tribute. The funeral expenses created further controversies when media reports claimed that the BMC had used taxpayers' money. In response to these reports, the party later sent a cheque of Rs. 500,000 to the corporation. The Hindu , in an editorial, said regarding the shutdown that "Thackeray’s legion of followers raised him to
9300-452: Was illegal and violated rights to freedom of speech and expression. On 2 November 2014, during the Kiss of Love protest against moral policing, members of Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal , Vishwa Hindu Parishad and many other right wing groups opposed and attacked protestors and threatened to strip protestors for kissing on the streets. These opposing groups claimed that public display of affection
9400-574: Was later succeeded by Uddhav Thackeray . The party is split into two parties: the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) which has a new symbol of Mashaal (Torch) and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (2022–present) which has gotten hold of the original party name and the "bow and arrow" symbol. Initially apolitical, the organisation was patronised by the then Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik who used it for curbing trade unions and maintain stranglehold of
9500-437: Was popular among his followers. In 2012, he instead gave a video-taped speech and urged his followers "to give the same love and affection to his son and political heir Uddhav as they had given him". Thackeray was known to convert popular sentiment into votes, getting into controversies and making no apologies for it though his son has tried to tone down the party's stance after his death. He was known for his inflammatory writings,
9600-751: Was quickly reformed. Shiv Sena was one of the founding members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 1998, and it also participated in Vajpayee Government from 1998 to 2004 and the Narendra Modi Government from 2014 to 2019. After 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election , the party left the alliance after disagreements with BJP over the CM post. Under Uddhav Thackeray , Shiva Sena formed an alliance with its historic rivals,
9700-582: Was seen as a good orator who used cruel humour to engage his audience. He had a large political influence throughout the state, especially in Mumbai. His party never had any formal internal elections nor was he ever formally elected as its chief at any point. Gyan Prakash said, "Of course, the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement had mobilized Marathi speakers as a political entity, but it was Thackeray who successfully deployed it as an anti-immigrant, populist force." He inspired Baliram Kashyap
9800-472: Was the first person to be put on the list. Marmik Marmik ( transl. Straight from the heart ) is an Indian weekly published by the Shiv Sena from Mumbai , until publication of its daily Saamana . It is seen as the frontrunner or launchpad for the Shiv Sena. It focused on issues of common Marathi man or Marathi Manoos including unemployment, influx of migrant, retrenchment of Marathi workers. Itss office at Ranade Road became
9900-473: Was the first public funeral in the city since that of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1920. Thackeray's body was moved to the park on 18 November. Many mourners attended his funeral, although there were no official figures. The range reported in media sources varied from around 1 million, to 1.5 million and as many as nearly 2 million. His cremation took place the next day, where his son Uddhav lit the pyre. Among those present at his cremation were senior representatives of
10000-532: Was threatened in 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections over seat sharing and both contested the election independently. With the BJP becoming the largest party following the 2014 election, Sena declared opposition. However, after negotiations, Sena agreed to join the government in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine governs the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation . Traditionally the main strongholds of Shiv Sena have been Mumbai and
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