The Age of Betrayal

UNLIKE his rivals, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not launch his campaign for the upcoming elections with dusty rallies, chest-thumping speeches or fiery public confrontations with political opponents. The former autorickshaw driver, who fought his way from Thane’s subaltern corners to the top of Maharashtra’s political ladder, could well have started his electoral outreach much before his allies and rivals on the silver screen.
Dharmaveer, a two-part Marathi biopic about Shiv Sena’s suburban giant Anand Dighe, Shinde’s mentor, depicts his rise to power and his close bond with Dighe. But one scene, which perhaps, inadvertently, reflects Dighe’s and the undivided Sena’s stance on political gaddars (traitors), visibly chafes against the film’s sympathetic and saccharine-dipped portrayal of Shinde. Midway through the film, a tense moment highlights Dighe’s reaction to political betrayal in a mayoral election in Thane in 1988, where Sena candidate Prakash Paranjpe lost by one vote due to defection. Enraged, Dighe mutters, “gaddaranna kshama nahi” (traitors deserve no mercy), as Shinde and other Sena workers watch. Dighe then orders his men to chase and punish the traitors. This cinematic moment mirrors the real-life consequences of betrayal within the party. Shinde has faced this challenge since 2022, when he and other party MLAs rebelled against the Sena leadership, toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and plunging Maharashtra into political turmoil.
The rebellion occurred soon after the premiere of the movie in May that year when Shinde was serving as urban development minister in the Thackeray-led cabinet. After a dramatic nine-day crisis, Shinde staked his claim to form a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), becoming Maharashtra’s 26th CM. However, the label of “gaddar” (traitor) continues to stick to him.
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Art of Leaving
Saying goodbye to the public arena is no easy call to make

Mortar Memory
Along the quiet stretches near the border and the Line of Control in Jammu, a fragile calm once held sway, until the sudden thunder of heavy mortar shells since May 7 shattered it

Borders on the Boil
Whether it is Pakistan, China, Bangladesh or Myanmar, the unfinished business of history haunts the region every day

Neighbourhood 'Frisk' Policy
India needs to relook at Bangladesh as it partners with China to rebuild World War II air bases

Fields of Nowhere
MYAJLAR is one of the last towns on the Jaisalmer border, which, at 464 km, is one of the longest that India shares with Pakistan.

Brittle, Bitter Borders
In the marshlands of the Rann of Kutch, where the border is invisible yet hotly contested, belongingness becomes tentative

Red Fade
Since the regime change, something has been changing in Chhattisgarh. With top Maoist leaders killed, the remaining are insisting on a ceasefire or peace talks. The state must make the most of the situation

Sir Creek and Adam's Bridge
With the recent military standoff between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed the lives of 26 people, the Indo-Pak border region with its long history of tensions is once again in the limelight.

Lines Drawn in Blood
In villages caught between two nations, memory and fear shape everyday life. The land is under floodlights, children are sent away in silence, and home is a place one must keep returning to

Maps and Minds
Maps have divided transnational ethnic groups Nagas, Zos, Bhutias, Bengalis and Nepalis, among others, but the Naga or the Zo mind does not accept the boundaries on government maps