In a severe and unprecedented crisis, such as the one our world is currently battling, some individuals and institutions change and become better selves of their own. They reinvent themselves by making introspective efforts to let the good and positive in them get the better of their lesser selves. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez says in his celebrated novel 'Love in the Time of Cholera', "..the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good." In 'Politics in the Time of Corona', something akin is happening to some leaders in India.
Of course, no crisis is so hugely transformative that it can change all politicians for the better. Nor can it make even those politicians who do change exemplars of all virtue. Politics is a difficult and frustrating vocation for souls that want to remain completely untainted. It is for this reason that some Gandhians hold a debatable belief - that a greater Mahatma than Mohandas Gandhi was his saintly disciple Vinoba Bhave. Their logic: Gandhi, though a Great Soul, entered the polluting portals of politics, whereas Vinoba stayed out of it. As I said, the belief is debatable.
We are of course going to discuss a lesser mortal than Gandhi and Vinoba in this article. Nevertheless, his being a run-of-the-mill politician does not belittle the significance of the amazing transformation in Uddhav Thackeray's politics and persona since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the state that has registered the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in India, is suddenly being hailed by many as a gentler, kinder and a truly inclusive leader. Barring the baying trolls working for the BJP's infamous IT Cell, most are appreciating his calm and compassionate handling of the corona emergency. Even his erstwhile critics (I include myself among them) are praising his concern for and his outreach to every section of society, especially Muslims, his firm grip on the administration, and his tireless involvement in every aspect of crisis management.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured migrant workers - stranded in the state - that he will arrange for their travel back to their hometowns
Indeed, the one image of Uddhav that has endeared him to friends and foes alike is the total lack of arrogance. Even before the Corona crisis, power was seen to be sitting lightly on his shoulders. After the crisis, his regular addresses to the people on television and social media have further reinforced the popular impression that he is humble, sincere, fully focused on his job, and therefore deserving of support. His political opponents (read: the BJP) did try to corner him over two unfortunate developments in the state during the lockdown - the sudden and totally unexpected crowding of migrant workers near Bandra station in Mumbai that led to a chaotic situation, and the horrific mob lynching of three persons, two of them sadhus, in Palghar. On both occasions, Uddhav's response was admirably Chief Ministerial. After the Palghar incident, he tweeted: "Those trying to inflame passions, must desist from doing so. There is no Hindu-Muslim angle or communalism in this attack. Two policemen were suspended immediately."
Earlier, when the BJP and its supporters started communalizing the Corona crisis (using the Tablighi Jamaat assembly in Delhi as the pretext) and spreading more hatred against the Muslim community, Uddhav sent a similarly stern message: "Like Covid-19 virus, there is a communal virus, too. I am warning those who are spreading wrong messages to the citizens. This Covid-19 virus sees no religion." Ideally, this warning should have been sounded by Modi, on whose watch his followers have communally polarized India to an alarming level. It was the Prime Minister's constitutional and moral duty to reprimand them. He did tweet on April 19 - "COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking" - but the message sounded half-hearted, half-muted, and entirely inadequate to the call of the hour. And even this much was not spoken by him in his widely watched TV addresses to the nation during the lockdown. Unsurprising, because the PM has his own considerations. (Didn't I say "no crisis is so hugely transformative that it can change all politicians for the better"?)
Under Uddhav's leadership, his party, the Shiv Sena, has also undergone an uncharacteristic transformation. Now that it is in the driving seat of the three-party alliance governing Maharashtra - the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress being its allies - it is being seen as a responsible and constructive party wedded to what Atal Bihari Vajpayee had called 'Coalition Dharma'. Its divorce from the Bharatiya Janata Party, its longtime ideological partner, in November last year was bitter and openly acrimonious. Uddhav's own personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had become extremely strained. However, once in office, neither he nor his party colleagues have taken a confrontational posture vis-à-vis the central government. Despite recurrent provocations from the BJP, which seems unwilling to accept its new position as an opposition party in the state, the Shiv Sena has shown remarkable self-restraint. This is being interpreted by many neutral observers in Maharashtra as Uddhav's decision to rise above petty politics and give primacy to the interests of the state and the wellbeing of its people.

Uddhav Thackeray during a meeting on COVID-19 at his official bungalow in Mumbai
This is also evident from the nearly bickering-free internal functioning of the three-party government. Historically, the Shiv Sena's relations with both the NCP and Congress were marked by intense animosity. This was partly because the Shiv Sena and NCP-Congress were on opposite sides of the ideological divide. They were also on opposite sides of the power divide, because of the Sena's three-decade-long electoral alliance with the BJP. Since coming to power, Uddhav has established a smooth working relationship with both the NCP and the Congress, always being genuinely courteous and respectful towards the presidents of the two parties - Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi.
The Shiv Sena's new maturity, and its willingness to change both ideologically and politically, was evident in another startling recent development. Saamna, the party's highly popular newspaper in Marathi, showered encomiums on Rahul Gandhi after he addressed a widely-appreciated press conference on the Corona pandemic on April 16. Its editorial said: "Gandhi has to be praised for the stand he has taken in the present crisis. He has created a model code of conduct on how an opposition party should behave when the country is faced with a crisis." Remarkably, the editorial was titled 'Rahul Gandhinche Chintan Shibir' (Rahul Gandhi's Brainstorming Session). In Indian politics, 'Chintan Shibir' is a term usually associated with the BJP. I have attended many 'Chintan Shibirs' during my past association with the BJP, when it was led by Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. Sadly, unlike the Shiv Sena, today's arrogant BJP leaders have exhibited a complete absence of constructive 'chintan'. Far from welcoming Rahul Gandhi's positive politics on the Corona situation, they are busy mocking him.
Many longtime observers of the Shiv Sena are today wondering: How did this party change so much so soon? After all, its transformation under the leadership of Uddhav (and Uddhav's son Aditya, a promising young politician) is in visible contrast to the negative image, rooted in reality, which the party carried in the past. For the longest period since its inception in 1966, the Shiv Sena was known for its militancy on two fronts. First, for its militant advocacy of the rights of "Marathi Manoos" - the Marathi-speaking people of Mumbai and Maharashtra. And later, from the 1980s onwards, for its militant advocacy of Hindutva. It was in this later phase that Uddhav's late father Balasaheb Thackeray, the Shiv Sena's iconic founder and supremo, began to be eulogised as the 'Hindu Hriday Samrat' - the Emperor of Hindu Hearts. Shiv Sainiks and several of their leaders were enthusiastically involved in communal riots in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra. Their linguistic narrow-mindedness and strong-arm tactics alienated many non-Marathi Hindus in Mumbai, famed for its cosmopolitanism.
What made the Shiv Sena change? And is the change enduring, or only temporary and transitory? These questions require a deeper, and separate, analysis. What is important right now, and eminently to be welcomed by all who value communal harmony, democracy and national unity in India, is that a powerful regional party and its leader have changed for the better. The Corona crisis has accelerated this positive change. If Uddhav Thackeray remains true to his better self, it is safe to predict that he will emerge as a consequential leader in the post-Corona political developments at the national level - and also in the post-Modi governance architecture in India.
(The writer was an aide to India's former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
World
India
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Akola757 Aurangabad1974 Dhule228 Jalgaon1039 Mumbai45478 Mumbai Suburban5363 Nagpur692 Nashik1575 Palghar1421 Pune9920 Satara629 Solapur1291 Thane13660 Yavatmal150 Ahmednagar190 Amravati291 Beed54 Bhandara41 Buldhana88 Chandrapur32 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Kolhapur646 Latur139 Nanded176 Nandurbar42 Parbhani78 Raigad1462 Ratnagiri350 Sangli145 Gadchiroli42 gondia69 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Wardha11 Washim13 | 8066243 1877 | 11790 | 7906291 1971 | 148162 5 |
DistrictCases Chittoor319 Guntur511 Krishna557 Kurnool795 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Prakasam104 Srikakulam183 Visakhapatnam103 West Godavari199 Y.S.R.205 Vizianagaram23 | 2334303 219 | 1239 | 2318331 250 | 14733 |
DistrictCases Bengaluru Rural40 Bengaluru Urban529 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Ballari60 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Chikkaballapura149 Dakshina Kannada179 Dharwad61 Gadag45 Kalaburagi669 Mandya346 Tumakuru36 Uttara Kannada95 Vijayapura201 Chamarajanagara0 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Davangere204 Hassan205 Haveri24 Kodagu4 Kolar29 Koppal5 Raichur369 Ramanagara3 Shivamogga67 Udupi1176 Yadgir538 | 4026085 1691 | 10054 | 3975855 1982 | 40176 6 |
DistrictCases North Goa57 South Goa69 | 253573 115 | 1010 | 248708 138 | 3855 |
DistrictCases Chengalpattu1314 Chennai23324 Kanchipuram503 Madurai322 Namakkal83 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Thiruvallur774 Thiruvarur67 Tiruppur116 Vellore71 Virudhunagar185 Ariyalur444 Coimbatore188 Cuddalore477 Dharmapuri15 Dindigul175 Erode75 Kallakurichi324 Kanniyakumari110 Karur88 Nagapattinam99 Perambalur133 Pudukkottai53 Ramanathapuram119 Salem258 Sivaganga46 Tenkasi103 The Nilgiris17 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Tirunelveli433 Tirupathur45 Tiruvannamalai496 Tuticorin333 Villupuram509 Krishnagiri43 | 3556430 892 | 8288 | 3510109 1190 | 38033 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kottayam73 Alappuzha76 Idukki40 Kasaragod333 Kollam118 Kozhikode90 Malappuram119 Palakkad224 Pathanamthitta98 Thiruvananthapuram104 Thrissur106 Ernakulam60 Wayanad36 | 6734188 1212 | 9691 | 6653895 1376 | 70602 10 |
DistrictCases Raipur46 Korba100 Balod41 Baloda Bazar85 Balrampur17 Bastar2 Bemetara21 Bijapur2 Bilaspur100 Dantewada0 Dhamtari6 Durg31 Gariyaband10 Janjgir-Champa56 Jashpur77 Kabirdham52 Kanker19 Kondagaon0 Korea39 Mahasamund54 Mungeli87 Narayanpur0 Raigarh47 Rajnandgaon52 Sukma0 Surajpur9 Surguja14 | 1170160 75 | 2332 | 1153743 449 | 14085 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2475 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Vikarabad40 Warangal Urban32 Adilabad22 Jagitial77 Jangoan8 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Kamareddy11 Karimnagar17 Khammam26 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Mahabubnagar30 Mancherial43 Medak11 Nalgonda33 Narayanpet3 Nirmal21 Nizamabad76 RajannaSircilla16 Sangareddy26 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Mahabubabad10 Mulugu3 Nagarkurnool8 Peddapalli5 Siddipet7 Wanaparthy1 Warangal Rural4 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 | 827995 612 | 4271 | 819613 1061 | 4111 |
DistrictCases Baleshwar190 Bhadrak137 Jajapur322 Dhenkanal36 Kalahandi33 Kendrapara164 Khordha238 Koraput16 Sundargarh102 Anugul26 Balangir129 Bargarh16 Boudh34 Cuttack155 Deogarh33 Gajapati61 Ganjam581 Jagatsinghapur91 Jharsuguda8 Kandhamal28 Kendujhar34 Malkangiri20 Mayurbhanj73 Nabarangpur2 Nayagarh86 Nuapada69 Puri103 Rayagada2 Sambalpur16 Sonepur29 | 1321197 530 | 4740 529 | 1307304 | 9153 1 |
DistrictCases Barwani60 Bhopal1880 Dewas140 Dhar132 East Nimar266 Gwalior211 Indore3839 Jabalpur276 Ujjain799 Agar Malwa15 Alirajpur3 Betul35 Burhanpur351 Chhindwara16 Dindori29 Harda4 Hoshangabad37 Khargone196 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Raisen71 Ratlam51 Sagar228 Shajapur39 Shandol14 Sheopur26 Tikamgarh18 Vidisha37 Anuppur22 Ashoknagar13 Balaghat9 Bhind87 Chhatarpur35 Damoh26 Datia12 Guna8 Jhabua14 Katni3 Mandla15 Narsinghpur17 Neemuch319 Niwari0 Panna20 Rajgarh31 Rewa39 Satna24 Sehore12 Seoni2 Shivpuri15 Sidhi17 Singrauli13 Umaria10 | 1051845 108 | 1131 | 1039951 220 | 10763 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17125 Anand107 Arvalli134 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Gandhinagar410 PanchMahals107 Surat2311 Vadodara1555 Bharuch56 Botad55 Chhotaudepur37 Dang5 Dohad43 GirSomnath45 Jamnagar63 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Mahesana159 Mahisagar125 Narmada25 Naysari35 Patan105 Rajkot135 SabarKantha101 Surendranagar55 Tapi6 Valsad47 Amreli16 DevbhumiDwarka22 Junagadh31 Morbi4 Porbandar11 | 1263830 552 | 4997 | 1247846 874 | 10987 2 |
DistrictCases Ajmer379 Banswara91 Bharatpur563 Jaipur2177 Jhalawar329 Jodhpur1748 Kota503 Nagaur500 Alwar90 Barmer34 Bhilwara250 Bikaner112 Chittorgarh188 Churu81 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Dungarpur374 Hanumangarh31 Jaisalmer53 Jhunjhunu64 Karauli17 Pali352 Rajsamand140 SawaiMadhopur26 Sikar231 Tonk171 Udaipur724 Baran59 Bundi5 Ganganagar8 Jalore164 Pratapgarh14 Sirohi130 | 1299665 658 | 4299 141 | 1285774 517 | 9592 |
DistrictCases Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Ambala93 Bhiwani60 CharkiDadri43 Fatehabad38 Gurugram2950 Hisar98 Jhajjar114 Jind38 Kaithal48 Karnal104 Kurukshetra55 Nuh68 Palwal120 Panchkula39 Panipat78 Rohtak145 Sirsa50 Yamunanagar19 Mahendragarh47 Rewari56 | 1039937 1075 | 4922 145 | 1024364 930 | 10651 |
DistrictCases Agra933 Aligarh215 Amroha80 Bareilly17 Bijnor157 Bulandshahr166 Firozabad190 Gautam Buddha Nagar1119 Kanpur Nagar286 Lucknow386 Mathura129 Meerut504 Moradabad252 Muzaffarnagar117 Rae Bareli78 Rampur203 Saharanpur298 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Varanasi243 Auraiya37 Ayodhya120 Azamgarh138 Baghpat68 Bahraich73 Balrampur49 Banda27 Basti214 Bhadohi60 Budaun23 Etah52 Etawah46 Ghaziabad794 Ghazipur159 Gonda59 Gorakhpur166 Hapur225 Hardoi49 Jalaun41 Jaunpur194 Jhansi41 Kannauj69 Kasganj16 Kaushambi6 Mainpuri46 Mau48 Mirzapur22 Pilibhit15 Pratapgarh15 Prayagraj30 Sambhal116 Shamli40 Shravasti23 Sitapur32 Sultanpur97 Unnao42 Ambedkar Nagar92 Amethi206 Ballia60 Barabanki168 Chandauli38 Chitrakoot4 Deoria143 Farrukhabad36 Fatehpur3 Hamirpur3 Hathras43 Kanpur Dehat4 Kheri72 Kushi Nagar67 Lalitpur3 Maharajganj85 Mahoba3 Shahjahanpur25 Siddharth Nagar159 Sonbhadra10 | 2111569 1018 | 5851 61 | 2082137 954 | 23581 3 |
DistrictCases Central4817 East2472 New Delhi3405 North3059 North East1914 North West5463 Shahdara1580 South2329 South East2446 South West2391 West4768 | 1978266 2726 | 8840 635 | 1943069 2085 | 26357 6 |
DistrictCases Dhubri30 Goalpara19 Marigaon50 Baksa14 Barpeta28 Biswanath16 Bongaigaon12 Cachar80 Charaideo29 Chirang6 Darrang20 Dhemaji47 Dibrugarh61 Dima Hasao86 Golaghat203 Hailakandi57 Hojai89 Jorhat24 Kamrup42 Kamrup Metro276 KarbiAnglong13 Karimganj85 Kokrajhar37 Lakhimpur57 Majuli2 Nagaon143 Nalbari23 Sivasagar20 Sonitpur27 South SalmaraMancachar4 Tinsukia84 Udalguri28 West KarbiAnglong5 | 742320 214 | 3572 | 730725 395 | 8023 1 |
DistrictCases East District3 North District0 South District3 West District0 | 42948 75 | 388 | 42081 82 | 479 2 |
DistrictCases Buxar134 Gaya115 Munger188 Patna279 Rohtas256 Arwal52 Aurangabad75 Banka134 Begusarai243 Bhagalpur266 Bhojpur103 Darbhanga143 Gopalganj123 Jehanabad178 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Lakhisarai72 Madhepura82 Madhubani199 Nalanda123 Nawada122 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Saran101 Siwan139 Vaishali87 Araria68 Jamui47 Katihar175 Khagaria253 Kishanganj75 Muzaffarpur96 Pashchim Champaran57 Saharsa88 Samastipur139 Sheikhpura118 Sheohar20 Sitamarhi73 Supaul87 | 845408 120 | 901 | 832220 199 | 12287 |
DistrictCases 24 Paraganas North1031 24 Paraganas South281 Darjeeling97 Howrah1435 Jalpaiguri88 Kalimpong18 Kolkata2777 Maldah235 Medinipur East153 Medinipur West159 Hooghly604 Murshidabad125 Nadia139 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purba Bardhaman130 Alipurduar39 Bankura116 Birbhum206 Coochbehar210 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Dinajpur Uttar216 Jhargram9 Purulia66 | 2101075 598 | 6438 | 2073223 802 | 21414 4 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 10508 3 | 26 | 10353 10 | 129 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Karaikal2 Mahe4 Yanam0 | 171867 81 | 432 | 169468 178 | 1967 |
DistrictCases Anjaw0 Changlang31 Dibang Valley0 East Kameng0 East Siang1 Kamle0 KraDaadi0 KurungKumey0 Leparada0 Lohit3 Longding0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 Lower Subansiri0 Namsai2 PakkeKessang1 Papum Pare8 Shi Yomi0 Siang0 Tawang1 Tirap0 Upper Siang1 Upper Subansiri0 West Kameng0 West Siang1 | 66353 39 | 216 | 65841 54 | 296 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Kiphire3 Kohima7 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Mon8 Peren2 Phek1 Tuensang3 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 35859 4 | 46 | 35040 13 | 773 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 11559 1 | 12 | 11543 5 | 4 |
DistrictCases Ranchi148 Bokaro16 Deoghar5 Dhanbad32 Garhwa80 Giridih19 Hazaribagh110 Jamtara2 Koderma58 Simdega48 Chatra1 Dumka5 East Singhbum170 Godda2 Gumla28 Khunti10 Latehar14 Lohardaga8 Pakur4 Palamu27 Ramgarh75 Sahebganj0 SaraikelaKharsawan20 West Singhbhum21 | 441231 55 | 650 | 435251 95 | 5330 1 |
DistrictCases Gomati74 North Tripura14 Dhalai196 Khowai24 Sepahijala174 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 | 107535 52 | 403 | 106195 103 | 937 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 29050 11 | 102 | 28720 21 | 228 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Bandipora175 Shopian255 Srinagar300 Baramulla271 Budgam110 Ganderbal37 Jammu138 Kathua53 Kulgam295 Kupwara231 Rajouri39 Ramban151 Reasi26 Samba25 Udhampur155 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 Doda27 Kishtwar10 Poonch35 Pulwama108 | 472011 637 | 4893 | 462341 670 | 4777 1 |
DistrictCases Chamba29 Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Sirmaur11 Solan32 Una41 Bilaspur21 Kinnaur2 Kullu4 Lahaul And Spiti0 Mandi21 Shimla10 | 306618 349 | 3602 | 298835 749 | 4181 |
DistrictCases Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Patiala132 Amritsar485 Barnala25 Faridkot74 Firozepur50 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Moga65 Pathankot86 S.A.S Nagar137 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Tarn Taran163 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 | 778606 410 | 13660 407 | 747101 | 17845 3 |
DistrictCases Haridwar94 Dehradun370 Nainital323 Almora71 Bageshwar31 Chamoli36 Champawat45 PauriGarhwal36 Pithoragarh43 Rudraprayag30 Tehri Garhwal110 Udam Singh Nagar83 Uttar Kashi24 | 445746 180 | 2173 | 435848 212 | 7725 2 |
DistrictCases Bishnupur7 Chandel5 Churachandpur32 Imphal East10 Imphal West21 Jiribam3 Kakching2 Kamjong5 Kangpokpi26 Noney1 Pherzawl3 Senapati6 Tamenglong2 Tengnoupal9 Thoubal18 Ukhrul4 | 139472 26 | 226 | 137105 42 | 2141 1 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 97706 84 | 697 | 95837 138 | 1172 1 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 North Garo Hills1 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Garo Hills4 South West Khasi Hills0 West Garo Hills5 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 | 96058 36 | 547 | 93899 70 | 1612 |
DistrictCases Aizawl10 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Kolasib11 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Mamit8 Saiha0 Saitual1 Serchhip0 | 234926 226 | 1096 8 | 233115 218 | 715 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 11415 | 0 | 11363 | 52 |