Thackeray, Bal (1926-2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was a right-wing political leader from the Indian state of Maharashtra. He founded the militant Shiv Sena party, which gained a reputation for violence and xenophobia (hatred of foreigners or strangers). Thackeray became known for his fiery speeches to large crowds of supporters. However, he had no interest in holding political office.
Bal Keshav Thackeray was born on Jan. 23, 1926, in the western Indian city of Pune. He began his career as a writer and political cartoonist in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra’s capital and India’s largest city. Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena in Bombay in 1966. The group began as a campaign to promote the interests of Indigenous (native) Maharashtrians.
At first, Thackeray blamed many of his people’s problems on migrants, particularly those from southern India. He believed large numbers of people who had moved to Bombay were taking jobs from native Maharashtrians. He also opposed Communists and labor activists. In the late 1960’s, Shiv Sena members broke up Communist Party meetings and assaulted Communists and labor leaders. Through violence and intimidation, the Shiv Sena’s influence grew. By the mid-1970’s, the group had become a major political force in Bombay.
In the 1980’s, Thackeray came to embrace Hindu extremism. He criticized the religion of Islam and opposed dealings with India’s neighbor, the Muslim-majority nation of Pakistan.
In December 1992, Shiv Sena activists and other Hindu extremists tore down a 430-year-old Muslim mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. They claimed the mosque had been built on the site of an ancient Hindu temple. Over the next two months, fighting between Hindus and Muslims spread throughout the country. About 2,000 people died in the violence. In 2000, Mumbai authorities arrested Thackeray for having incited the anti-Muslim riots. However, because the arrest came years after the events, a judge dismissed the case on grounds that the statute of limitations had passed.
In the 1990’s, the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1995, a BJP-Shiv Sena coalition gained control of the Maharashtra state government. Although Thackeray could have become the state’s chief minister, he appointed another Shiv Sena member to the position. Thackeray claimed he held the “remote control” for the state government. In 1995, Thackeray was a key part of the movement that led to Bombay being renamed Mumbai, the city’s name in the Marathi language.
Although the Shiv Sena lost control of the state government in 1999, it remained highly influential in Mumbai. Thackeray died on Nov. 17, 2012, and was given a state funeral.
