Manohar Joshi (1937-2024): The rise and fall of Sena’s first CM

Manohar Joshi who passed away on Friday was the Shiv Senarsquos first chief minister To have a Brahmin as chief minister was unconventional in Maharashtrarsquos politics but then again Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray loved making such surprise movesIt was said that Thackeray senior wanted Joshirsquos blood relative also a Shiv Sena MLA to be the chief minister but the plan changed at the 11th hourJoshi was loyal to Thackeray senior and was lucky enough to enjoy positions of power in the later stages of his career Joshirsquos career flourished during the Shiv Sena and BJP alliance in Maharashtra and New DelhiFormer Shiv Sena chief the late Bal Thackeray applies Holi colour on the late Manohar Joshi during a celebration at his residence PicGetty ImagesThe passing away of the party chief in 2012 gave the Sena a new unilateral leadership in the form of Uddhav Thackeray who had his own structure of associates and advisers Joshi and Uddhav did not enjoy a very cordial relationship perhaps because the former had described the latter as a mild leader By then Uddhavrsquos estranged cousin Raj and some senior leaders like Narayan Rane had quit to weaken the SenaBooing incidentJoshirsquos remark apparently made in a media interview had upset Shiv Sainiks so much that they booed him at the partyrsquos 2013 Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park Joshi had to step down from the dais to leave the rally in full view of Uddhav who was seen calming Sena workers who had once celebrated Joshi as a loyal SainikturnedCM Uddhav had been in command of the party for almost sixseven years and was accepted by Sainiks notwithstanding comparisons with his late father and Raj Half a dozen years later Uddhav was sworn in as the CM at Shivaji Park in a power pact with the Congress and its offshoot NCP Much before that Joshi had lost active presence in the Sena organisationThat Shivaji Park moment brought Joshi more humiliation than his unceremonious exit from the CMO It was the venue where Bal Thackeray accompanied by Joshi and many other associates had founded his political outfit in 1966 Boosted by Thackeray seniorrsquos support and trust Joshi rose to be the CM three decades later In the interim he worked as a city corporator mayor legislator and opposition leader in the Assembly After the CMs stint he worked as a Union minister and Lok Sabha speaker during Atal Bihari Vaypayeersquos prime ministership The Sena gave him a full term in Rajya Sabha after a defeat in the Lok Sabha election The end of the RS term marked the end of Joshirsquos reign and the beginning of his detachment from the Senarsquos activities because of falling healthJoshis tenure as the CM coined a new term for the power centres that ran the governments indirectly Bal Thackeray who consciously stayed away from occupying a seat of an elected representative gained an identity as the SenaBJP governmentrsquos lsquoremote controlrsquo that operated from Matoshree He wielded the remote control more aggressively and effectively than the national and regional leaders who were blessed with a similar strength of command within their respective parties It is said that only a few like BJPrsquos Pramod Mahajan had the guts and skills to negotiate with Thackeray senior Be it then CM Joshi or his deputy Gopinath Munde BJP all mantris and santris had to respect Thackerayrsquos diktats It is said that Joshi had almost mastered the skills required to convince the Sena supremo but before he could get cracking for the second term a real estate scam involving his soninlaw gave Joshirsquos detractors and party boss an opportunity to send him packingJoshi despite being a native of Raigad district was considered a diehard Shivaji Park breed of Marathi Mumbaikar Popularly known as Sir because he founded a technicalvocational school lsquoKohinoorrsquo and spread its branches across the state He ventured into the real estate business later Mostly handled by his son the real estate business was talked about because of partnerships with the people lsquoMatoshreersquo might not have approved of in the later stages Joshirsquos CM stint will be known for the public infrastructure that was aimed at catering to Mumbairsquos needs Bal Thackeray had backed thenPWD minister Nitin Gadkarirsquos vision of building flyovers viaducts a BandraWorliAndheri sealink and an expressway to Pune 55 flyovers were built then Some were inaugurated after the SenaBJP lost powerTried to build bridgesOn the political side Joshi did try to build bridges between the estranged saffron partners and Uddhav and Raj Joshi was sacked as the CM but he did not lose faith in the leadership of the Sena founder He worked sincerely as others left the party Rajrsquos exit did upset Joshi He did try to build a bridge between the estranged cousins Joshi was witness to yet another big split in the Sena after Chhagan Bhujbal Raj and Rane broke away when he was in the thick of action This time around he could just be a mere spectator 1999Year Joshirsquos term as CM ended