AADITYA THACKERAY STEPS UP IN PUBLIC AMID CRISIS

Mumbai: Even as Shiv Sena battles arguably its worst political crisis in 56 years, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s son and wife state cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray and Rashmi Thackeray respectively, have stepped up to fill the vacuum left by him.

The CM, who has stepped out of the limelight since his public address on Facebook Live on June 22, later surprised political circles by leaving his official ‘Varsha’ bungalow residence.

When it became apparent that the rebel camp led by trusted aide Eknath Shinde had more than 37 MLAs, Thackeray had offered to resign as chief minister, “if Shiv Sainiks wanted him to.”

From that moment on, Aaditya Thackeray’s body language has witnessed a marked change, say political observers. He is the ‘heir apparent’ notwithstanding, the reserved, shy and polite Aaditya, who describes himself as a poet in his Twitter bio, appears to have shouldered the responsibility of tackling the crisis. He has been helping his father battle his most difficult challenge since he was given the party reins by his grandfather Balasaheb Thackeray.

Over the next few days, Uddhav Thackeray addressed party district chiefs and the party’s national executive at Shiv Sena Bhavan, but it was Aaditya’s unusually bold utterances that made news. On Saturday, he told party workers firmly that the party’s doors for the rebel MLAs holed up in the Guwahati hotel were now closed. “The road from the airport to the Vidhan Bhavan passes via Worli (his constituency). It’s good that the rebels left (Shiv Sena). There is no room for traitors in the party,” he said. While Aaditya Thackeray seems to be embracing his new leadership role, Rashmi Thackeray has also been speaking to the wives of rebel MLAs, with whom she shares cordial family relations. “I know for a fact that wives of many rebel MLAs have spoken to Rashmi vahini (sisterin-law) asking that their husbands be brought back. Her relations with everyone are beyond politics,” Sena’s former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar told reporters.