Operation Topple was instituted in 2001 by the Shiv Sena and BJP to bring down the then-Democratic Front government, headed by Congress, in Maharashtra. Narayan Rane who had previously been the CM of the state under a Sena-BJP alliance, in a book by him with Priyam Gandhi-Modi published by HarperCollins Publishers India, in 2002, says, the opportunity presented itself when a crucial ally to the government withdrew support over the reinstatement of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. Yet, Rane says in the book, that party chief Bal Thackeray, whom he refers to as Saheb, let the opportunity slip, allowing the DF to retain the government and ending any chances he had of becoming CM again.

Edited excerpts from the book: