Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena is a right-wing political party primarily active in Maharashtra, India, known for its strong advocacy of Hindu nationalism. Founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, the party initially emerged as an activist group addressing the grievances of disenfranchised youth in Maharashtra, who blamed immigrants for their economic struggles. Over the years, Shiv Sena has evolved into a significant political force, forming coalitions that have led to electoral victories in the state. The party adopts a conservative stance, promoting a fundamentalist interpretation of Hinduism, and has been associated with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments.
Despite its popularity, Shiv Sena has drawn substantial criticism from human rights organizations for its rhetoric and alleged involvement in inciting violence, particularly during riots in Mumbai. The party's controversial positions have included support for the demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque, which sparked widespread unrest. While Shiv Sena claims to welcome individuals of all backgrounds, it maintains a strict stance against those it perceives as "traitors" to India. Over time, the party has navigated shifts in political power, transitioning from a ruling coalition to opposition, while continuing to influence the sociopolitical landscape of Maharashtra.
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Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena is a conservative political party most popular in Maharashtra, India. The party is a strong proponent of Hindu nationalism and commonly advocates for an extremely conservative fundamentalist interpretation of the Hindu faith. Shiv Sena first began as an activist group for disenfranchised Maharashtra youth, who blamed immigrants from foreign countries and other parts of India for their economic difficulties. Early members of Maharashtra violently attacked immigrants, attempting to convince them to leave the state so that more jobs would be available for Maharashtra natives.
As Shiv Sena entered politics, it received support from other organizations that supported Hindu nationalism. It allied with another prominent local political party, forming a coalition that won the Maharashtra state elections. This made Shiv Sena one of the most influential political organizations in the state. Despite this, Shiv Sena continued to face criticism from human rights organizations. They claimed that the political party’s anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric was intended to inspire violence against those populations. They also blamed Shiv Sena for inspiring deadly riots within Mumbai and neighboring states.
Background
Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray (1926–2012) in 1966. The group was not originally formed as a political party, and Thackeray never held an official political office. Despite this, as head of Shiv Sena, Thackeray was considered one of the most powerful people in his state. Prior to founding the group, Thackeray was known for writing political cartoons. He was a vocal opponent of the influence of outsiders in Maharashtra, the Indian state in which the leader resided. Thackeray worried that too many Maharashtra jobs were going to immigrants and believed that those jobs should go to native residents of Maharashtra.
During both his work as a cartoonist and founder of Shiv Sena, Thackeray was heavily influenced by his father, Keshav Sitaram Thackeray. The elder Thackeray was very active in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, which advocated for a separate state for everyone who spoke the most popular language in Maharashtra. Like Shiv Sena, this movement was also opposed to immigration.
Before entering politics, Shiv Sena functioned as a militant group that attracted young, unemployed residents of Maharashtra. These people found solace in the anti-immigrant message propagated by Thackeray and began to blame immigrants for their personal misfortune. They worked to incite violence against immigrants and organized small groups to vandalize immigrant-run businesses. Many members of Shiv Sena were also known for attacking immigrants.
Despite the group’s violent reputation, in its early days, it was supported by the Indian government. Many members of the government feared the growing power of communist trade union throughout Mumbai. The right-wing Shiv Sena served as an effective rival to the leftist trade union and could be used to reduce the power of the union. Violence quickly erupted between the two groups. In 1970, Krishna Desai, a leader of the trade union, was murdered. Thackeray was suspected of ordering the killing but was exonerated in court.
Soon after the death of Krishna Desai, members of Shiv Sena incorporated into the group strict support for Hinduism. Similarly, Shiv Sena began to oppose Muslims as well as immigrants. The organization also began seeing significant political success, winning seventy-five seats in Mumbai’s civic polls in 1985.
Overview
Shiv Sena is a conservative, right-wing political party popular in Maharashtra, India. Originally, the group was not religiously affiliated, and its platform was predominately focused on local politics and fighting immigration from foreign countries and other parts of India. However, over time, the party adopted a strong fundamentalist Hindu platform and began to consistently oppose Muslims, especially Muslim immigrants. Shiv Sena was initially supported in spreading fundamentalist Hinduism by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the World Hindu Council, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In response to allegations of bigotry, the party claims that it welcomes anyone of any race or creed, as long as they are not a “traitor to India.” It also asserts that it will do whatever is necessary to punish traitors to India.
The party was in favor of demolishing the historic Babri Masjid mosque. They planned to replace it with a Hindu temple, arguing that the mosque was located at the site of the birth of a Hindu god. The position was controversial and harshly criticized by the Muslim population of the state. When the foundation of the new Hindu temple was laid, anti-Hindu riots broke out across neighboring states and Pakistan.
In 1995, Shiv Sena allied with BJP to form a coalition. Together, the two parties won the Maharashtra state election, taking control of the state government. Though Thackeray did not hold an official position within this government, his significant influence over Shiv Sena granted him significant political power.
During its administration, Shiv Sena was formally investigated for its role in inciting anti-Muslim riots across Mumbai and Maharashtra. Hundreds of people perished during the riots, and numerous human rights groups accused Thackeray and Shiv Sena of purposefully inciting the violence. In February 1998, a report was issued that formally implicated members of Shiv Sena in intensifying the violence. In response, the party argued that the report was unfairly biased. The coalition failed to secure the majority in the 2004 state elections, and in 2005, it shifted into the role of opposition government.
Following its loss of control, Shiv Sena undertook another large political campaign. Many critics claimed that the rhetoric promoted by Shiv Sena during this time was designed to create fear within Muslim and immigrant populations, reducing the number of Muslims and immigrants within the state. However, representatives from Shiv Sena argue that the rhetoric was intended solely to promote pride within the native peoples of Maharashtra.
A major change occurred in 2022 when senior leader Eknath Shinde led a rebellion within Shiv Sena. He and most of the party's MLAs broke away and partnered with the BJP. Then, Uddhav Thackeray resigned as Maharashtra's Chief Minister, and Shinde took his place. Following the split, both groups wanted the right to use the party’s symbol, but in 2023, the Election Commission deemed Shinde's group as the official Shiv Sena. Uddhav's faction adopted the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and was assigned a new symbol, the mashaal, meaning torch.
Bibliography
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“We Do Not Pay Attention to Shiv Sena’s Criticism of PM: Fadnavis.” The Hindu, 2018, www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/we-do-not-pay-attention-to-shiv-senas-criticism-of-pm-fadnavis/article25874586.ece. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.