CAFE
COM:PORT
CHAT JOCKEYS
EVENTS

The Kumar Ketkar Chat

Ketkar was frank, fearless and forthright. Many readers may disagree with what he says, but the transcript provides some insight into currents events in the western state.

shivaji (Fri Feb 21 19:44:49 1997 IST):

jai maharashtra! jai hindutan!!

Are we ready to start?

Is Mr Ketkar in?

Mr Ketkar, welcome to the Rediff Chat. I do hope you enjoy the experience.

How long do you think the BJP-Sena govt will keep their control on Maharashtra?

Mr Ketkar. I read your article on Rediff. I thought you were very biased. Is there nothing redeeming in the BJP-Sena manner of governance? How would you compare it to the Sharad Pawar manner of governance?

Mr Ketkar, your recent article in Rediff points a finger at the "typical" middle class Maharashtrian as harbouring anti-Dalit and anti-Muslim prejudices.. and thus laying the base for parties like the Shiv Sena..what accounts for this prejudice among Maharastrians?

Kumar -- may I call you Kumar -- I can understand Punjabis and Sindhis being anti-Muslim, but why are Maharashtrians so anti-Muslim? What historical grievance is responsible for this? Or is it the handiwork of Thackeray and CO?

Mr Ketkar. I read your article on Rediff. I thought you were very biased. Is there nothing redeeming in the BJP-Sena manner of governance? How would you compare it to the Sharad Pawar manner of governance?

Mr Ketkar, do you see a polarisation of the polity in Maharashtra along caste lines, ala UP? Are the dalits and the OBCs strong enough?

Hello everyone. Well, I would like to interact with you on an important topic of the Sena-BJP alliance which claims to be ruling in the State . Since the experinece of most people in Maharashtra is that they do not know as to who actually governs their lives, it is necessary to find out the political and cultural linkages in the society which brought this very strange alliance in power.

Mr Ketkar, your response indicates deep bias against the alliance. Do you honestly believe that this govt is worse than the Naik and Pawar govts which saw such bloodshed in Mumbai. Come, come, Mr Ketkar. o

I am curious: Why do you call it a strange alliance. After all, barring some nominal changes, they seem to share the same ideology...

Suresh: Thankfully Maharshtra is not as caste ridden 'politically' as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar . There are various reasons for this which cannot be gone into this brief exchange. However it would suffice to say that the saints tradition in Maharashtra and the first ever welfarist state attempted by Shivaji Maharaj way back in the 17th century . The dalits and OBC's cannot form a political alliance in Maharshtra because they belong to different social and cultural mileu . Also it should be noted that the various castes among the BC's and OBC's give each one of them a very small political base .

Dear Mr Kumar, I liked your article very much and agreed with what you had to say. But how long do you think the common Mumbaikar can keep being scared and cowed down by this self-opinionated jester called Bal? Is it his rhetoric that keeps the semi-literate glued to him, slurping every dribble that oozes out of his mouth.... is it not dangerous to allow such an "icon" to develope? Are the media giong ga-ga over his antics only because he was a media person too? Or is it that he is your bread-n-butter, because he provides dubious quality news items?

Mr Ketkar, do you see a polarisation of the polity in Maharashtra along caste lines, ala UP? Are the dalits and the OBCs strong enough?

Dear Avinash: You're right .There was little redeeming about the Congress rule between 1991- and 1995 . Indeed it was because of the frustration of the poeple with the Pawar led Congress Raj that the people voted for BJP and Sena. But unfortunately their innocent hopes from the alliance have been belied and people feel that they were betrayed . As far as the Sena- BJP rule is concerned they have given grandiose promises but not one has been fullfiled so far . What we have witnessed however is the humiliation of the BJP at the hands of Balasaheb Thackeray and Shiv Sena . We have also seen a very low level of cultural standards under the Sena- BJP rule . The language used by Mr Thackeray and his sons against Mr P L Deshpande, of course Mahatma Gandhi or for that matter even against Nana Patekar . It is not the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj to insult women the way the Thackeray family is insulting widow Mrs Kini . It is she who is helpless having been widowed in suspicious circumstances, but the Thackeray's are behaving as if they are the victims and she is or her late husband some kind of criminals .

Dear Kaisar , Well at the outset I can say that the media is not going ga-ga over the Thackeray family and their bizzare behaviour. I can assure you that nearly 80% of the leading Marathi papers are against the Thackeray's even if sometimes they are slightly sympathetic to the Sena. This is particularly more important because again nearly 75% of the press in the metro cities and the moffusil areas was totally pro Sena -BJP. If they are against the alliance today it is because they are throughly disillusioned. That must not however distract our attention from the fact that there is still considerable following to the Sena. Don't forget that Bal Thackeray is the only leader in the state who is head of the party for continously 31 years. No other leader in Maharastra has been able to achieve this feat .

hi everyone!

Kumarji, I feel that the SS will die a natural death,if you didn't report on their activities,and atrocities in the media as often as it does.The best way to deal with the Thackerays is to completely blank him out of the news. don't you think most of what is printed about him is only because being a publicity person himself... has promoted himself by "news" items created by his ilke!? Please comment.

Shrikant Babulkar: Most Maharashtrians are infact are not anti-muslims, not withstanding the fact that Mumbai and parts of Maharshtra had the worst ever riots in December 92 and January 93. Maharashtra is not a border state like Punjab. Maharashtra did not suffer the pangs of partition. Though Gandhiji was killed by a fanatic Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin, the Hindutva politics did not benifit from the muslim bashing. The victory of Sena- BJP alliance reflects not anti- muslim sentiments as predominant political expression. It had more to do with anti Congressism. That does not mean that the seeds of Hindu communalism have not been sown but Maharashtra does not provide a fertile soil.

Thank You Mr.Kumar.

Kesari: The SS is not a creation of Bal Thackeray . It is a reflection of growing unrest among the Marathi speaking youth who do not see adequate opportunities in the present system. This feeling of frustration was particularly acute in the mid-sixties and Bal Thackeray merely articulated their sentiments. Therefore it is Thackeray who draws strength from this mass, rather than the massses drawing from him. The tragedy is some of them still see hope in the Sena and Thackeray's while the Sena leadership merely sees private profit from the power. They have nothing in their heart or in their schemes to help the helpless Mumbaikar or Marathi people in the state.

Mr Ketkar, with due humility, I disagree with you when you say that most Maharashtrians are not anti-Muslims. Many are not, but many, many are. The top RSS leadership is mostly Maharashtrians, and the Shiv Sena's anti-Muslim attitude has many supporters. In fact, may even believe that Shivaji fought Muslims, when he actually fought the tyranny of Aurangzeb, often in alliance with Muslims. But few Maharashtrians care to remember that. Your comments, please.

I certainly hope you are right,Sir, about our state not providing a fertile soil for these bigotted people. However, from the looks of it, the Gujrati and Sindhi population are mostly for the BJP....and by default,the SS. What should the ordinary citizen do to rid themselves of this curse?