The Shiv Sena

Though the shiv Sena participates in India's democratic electoral process, its leader has little faith in democracy. Balasaheb clearly wants to rule it as an undisputed leader where one man commands and the rest follow. Its ironical that participation in elections brought shiv Sena to power five years ago. To overcome the dilemma of a democratically elected chief minister, Manohar Joshi, Balasaheb used the device of remote control whereby the shiv Sena supreme took important decisions and the Chief Minister was made to follow them.

To sum up, Shiv sena exemplifies a political organisation that can ride to power by voicing the frustrations of native young men and women. Its decisiveness, clarity, its pro-native nationalist stance are its qualities. Its outspokenness, belligerency, sometimes outright irrationality, its ability to create trouble and its contempt for democracy are its flaws. The party has tasted power in Maharashtra. It has grown from a social organisation to a political party having wings across India. Whether it shuns its leaning towards fascism and matures into a rational party is to yet to be seen.

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