As the 'Shiv Sena special' carrying leaders, hundreds of ordinary sainiks and members of the media for the party's two-day convention in Amravati chugged out of Bombay, political conventions yielded to apolitical passions. Sena MP Mohan Rawle soon abandoned his air-conditioned bogey to join the workers in their second class compartment for a game of cards. He didn't hold his cards close to his chest, as he does in the political arena, but played freely to beat his rivals hollow. In another compartment was Sena MLA Vishakha Raut, a soft smile playing on her face. Tired perhaps of fighting environmentalists, she sat quietly by the window, soaking in the beautiful green environs. When she had had enough of that, she joined a band of women sainiks in a game of Antakshari and lent her vocal chords for Hindi and Marathi songs. Many called that "a welcome break from slogan-shouting". Sena general secretary Subhash Desai didn't lag behind. Opening up to a group of journalists, the man known for "too much reticence" eloquently re-entered the world of his youth and poured out all his passion for Hindi movies. He spoke animatedly about his craze for Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. His favourite songs tumbled from his tongue, one after the other, not too unrhythmically. We journalists had to face the music, yes. But for once, we didn't mind! The venue for the Sena convention was the four-acre Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, better known as the heart of Amravati. In this heart, one witnessed a heartless deed. A lovely peacock was caged in a corner. I asked one of the Sainiks about it. "When you have so many Sena tigers moving around, it would be unsafe for the peacock to stay in the open. It's safer inside," came his reply. After spending a year in exile, Sena chief Bal Thackeray's nephew Raj returned to active politics at the Maha Shibir. Not everyone, though, is happy about this. Certainly not the Uddhav Thackeray camp, which would rather have Thackeray's son calling the shots. Much to its discomfiture, it was Raj who called the shots at the Shibir. Not in the organising of the event, but in oratorical excellence and establishing instant rapport with the sainiks. Uddhav Thackeray made loud noises on Hindutva and ranted against "anti-national" Muslims and their courtiers (read BJP). Yet it was Raj who actually gave the party workers a plan of action and Uddhav's camp the jitters. He asked sainiks from Vidarbha to immediately start a signature campaign to obtain popular opinion on the demand for a separate state. This was the only plan declared at the convention, and that too, directly communicated by Raj to partymen without consulting other leaders. Raj is sure that by declaring this drive, he has given a "personal touch" to his bond with Sena activists. Uddhav's close aides are still unsure how to counter this new Raj. In one more clear signal that all's not well between the Thackeray cousins, Raj remained absent for the inauguration of the convention (the convention was flagged off by Uddhav). When Thackeray senior got to know of Raj's absence from a Sena MLA, he asked (seriously or bitingly, I don't know): "Why wasn't Raj there in the morning? Did he stay awake till late in the night?" The MLA had no reply. The conclusion of the convention, though, saw Uddhav and Raj together. All's well that ends well? No, we've only seen the end of the convention. The end of the conflict is yet to come. Before Bal Thackeray's mammoth rally that marked the end of the Shibir, Uddhav Thackeray paid a visit to the venue of the rally, the Science Score Maidan. He was unhappy with the size of the tiger (the Sena emblem) painted backstage. So he ordered an artist summoned and asked him to paint a bigger and better-roaring tiger. Clearly, life-size isn't enough for the Sena; larger-than-life about says it all. During his hugely-attended rally, Bal Thackeray again declared that the Sena would come to power soon. "I won't rest content till I flutter the saffron atop the mantralaya once again," he roared. Some Sena leaders boasted that the party was just one MLA short; once it got this, the toppling game would be won. But the Sena has itself been often caught and bowled on this point. In the last one year, the party set five deadlines for acquisition of power. Those have all come and gone, but the Sena is still out of power. En route to Bombay after the convention, I asked a top Sena leader why he chose to travel in the train when he could have flown back instead, like Uddhav Thackeray, Narayan Rane and a few others. "I like to keep my feet firmly on the earth," he said, "but no sky is too high for some." Yes, on the whole, the convention was a good party, and, as the above line shows, one also got to hear interesting party talk. Shounak Nachare loves rubbing shoulders with politicians, never mind their hue. Tell us what you think of this diary
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