As the Maharashtra Assembly met for its monsoon session, things were not all that rosy in the Shiv Sena camp.
Leader of opposition Narayan Rane, expelled from the Sena, was determined to prove his strength. The Sena was not to be outsmarted.
As Rane's camp and the Shiv Sena traded charges, the assembly was adjourned for the day.
Earlier in the day, the cops had a tough time keeping Rane's supporters, who had gathered at Marine Drive, under control.
While Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has enough Sainiks in Mumbai to do his bidding, Rane doesn't.
So Rane had to bring in an army from all over the state. Nariman Point was as crowded as it is on most mornings.
Rane's supporters, who had come to protect their leader from the Sena fury, had brought along their own banners. Narayan Rane smiled down from these banners.
The supporters took turns shouting slogans. They hadn't gained full steam as they started marching towards Mantralaya.
Smiling, joking, laughing. They did not look like an army of protestors. They were more like young village boys and small town men who had got a chance to see Mumbai.
The Shiv Sena had mobilised its own forces. But it didn't look like there would be a clash.
It was a show of strength -- of the Sena supporters, the Rane supporters and the Mumbai police.
The police won hands down.
Text: A Ganesh Nadar | Photograph: Jewella C Miranda
