Shivaji: The new poll issue

Both are back at the centre-stage of electioneering. Both are heroes of Maharashtra: one, a godlike figure from pages of history, and the other, a current-day politician.
One has been brought to the centre-stage, the other was forcibly kept away and for him a return to limelight, that too during electioneering, is a boon.
Just as it appeared that the furore over James Laine''s book on Shivaji was dying down, another book ''Marathyanchi Prashasan Vyavastha'', a translation of Surendranath Sen''s old book "The Administrative System of Marathas, has hit headlines.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray revealed at a election rally that the book, published by the government''s Maharashtra State Literary and Cultural Board, contains derogatory references to Shivaji''s mother Jijabai.
Not surprisingly, Thackeray''s followers attacked the house of the board chairman, R R Borade. The Sena and its ally, the BJP, have demanded resignation of the Democratic Front (Congress-NCP) government for publishing such a book. In response, the Congress-NCP combine has adopted a two-way strategy. First they showed that the decision to publish the book was taken 1998, when Sena-BJP was in power. The intellectuals from their side also put it before the people that Mr. Thackeray read only one page of the book.
On this page the writer has merely quoted a Portuguese writer''s derogatory remark against Jijabai. But, immediately on the next page, he has proved how that remark was wrong. So, the remark was not of the writer of this book, but he only quoted it from another book to disprove it. With BJP leader Gopinath Munde announcing to launch state wide agitation to demand government''s resignation, Shivaji Maharaj seemed to remain at the political center stage till the elections are over. May be even after it, since the elections to Maharashtra assembly are due in October, November.
Though he quoted the portion from the book only suitable to him, Mr Thackeray has picked up a perfect issue during poll times. He knows the pulse of the people and what will work in campaign. He also knows Shivaji''s very high stature in every Mararthi person''s mind. By taking a strong stand against Laine and his book vis-Ã -vis Sena''s support to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee''s mild stand, the NCP tried to project that it has more respect for Shivaji than the Sena, whose very basis and name is derived from him. But by raking up a new controversy Sena has hijacked Shivaji again from the NCP.
The NCP president Sharad Pawar strongly responded to Mr Thackeray on the new controversy by reminding him that how the decision to publish the book was taken during the Sena-BJP regime. Mr Pawar was back in the campaign at the appropriate time after a brief gap. Mr. Pawar was forced to abandon the campaign for over a week as a result of an emergency operation to remove some muscular growth in his gums. Though Mr Pawar did not participate in the campaign, he continued to communicate with his workers and advice them first from his hospital room and then from his home, where he was resting for a few days post the operation.
But, a leader with lot of political maneuvering capacity like Mr Pawar just can''t sit at home away from the action of his favourite game (unless it is a part of his some political game). So, disregarding the medical advice of further rest, Mr. Pawar plunged into the actual campaign with renewed vigor. Merely a day passed when he re-entered the electioneering and Mr. Thackeray gave him an issue to fight on silver platter. Even his supporters must have felt relieved that their ''Saheb'' was now there on the actual battlefront to give a fitting reply to ''Balasaheb'' of the Sena. On this backdrop, one question haunts the political observers. Mr. Thackeray once again raked up controversy on Shivaji, a sensitive issue. And Mr. Pawar jumped into the campaign ignoring the medical advice for rest. Why is there so much of desperation on both the sides?