SHIV Sena chief Bal Thackeray has never been known to rock ‘n’ roll. Neither does he moonwalk a la Michael Jackson. But overnight the Sena, much to the embarrassment of the RSS, VHP and the BJP, has become the prime promoters of the pop star’s Indian leg of the HIStory tour in Mumbai on November 1. From being a champion of desi culture, it’s now the unlikely patron of the "western influence" that it self-avowedly abhorred till very recently. The new thinking in the Sena, according to its detractors, has a lot to do with Thackeray aiming big and trying to get a slice of the pie from extravaganzas like the Miss World Contest and the Jackson show.
The money promised by the Jackson show’s organisers Wizcraft to the Udyog Sena, an organisation headed by Thackeray’s nephew Raj, is a whopping Rs 4 crore. The Udyog Sena was cobbled together at the last minute on October 21, allegedly to help the money transfer. The funds are to be used for an employment scheme which the Sena chief promised, in the course of his Dussehra Day speech, would benefit 27 lakh jobless youth in the state. On record, Wizcraft is to part with 85 per cent of the proceeds from the concert; but sources reveal that the concert, which was being touted as a sellout show, could rake in as much as Rs 9 crore.
Thackeray justifies his backing the Jackson show on the ground that it would help a noble cause. He debunks those who are critical of the Miss World show in Bangalore as those who cannot appreciate beauty. But, say his detractors, behind this facade of benevolence and love of the arts is the desire to generate funds. Points out Nikhil Wagle, editor of Mahanagar and a known Sena-baiter: "They (the Sena) are absolutely and 100 per cent money-minded and want money from everywhere. They will, on the lesser scale, continue to extort from traders and, on a larger scale, make money out of mega shows like Jackson’s."
Objection to the concert and the Sena backing the show has come from various quarters. Prof Rajendra Singh, the RSS chief, has been very critical of the "invasion of western culture" and has expressed concern over the promotion of shows like the Miss World Contest and the Jackson show. The BJP and its student wing are not too happy with the Jackson concert either. The RSS-backed Swadeshi Jagaran Manch too has taken umbrage. The Maharashtra unit of the Congress has strongly objected to the funds from the Jackson show filling the coffers of the Udyog Sena. It says a political organisation has to seek the Election Commission’s sanction before staging any show where big money was involved.
Points out lawyer M.P. Vashi, who has filed many a case against the Sena in the past: "The contract to pay Raj Thackeray’s Udyog Sena Rs 4 crore is a totally illegal transaction because while the property is public, the sale proceeds are going to a political party. It’s illegal even from the Election Commission perspective. And what is this Jackson culture? Isn’t it the opposite of what the Sena says it stands for? They have double standards. The sole consideration for its support is the four crores."
The Rashtriya Mukti Morcha, the organisation which has filed the case against Narasimha Rao and others in the JMM case, has written to the Income Tax collector, Mumbai, enquiring if the Jackson show was exempted from entertainment and if so under what provision of the tax laws.
Closer home, the Sena chief’s brother Ramesh Thackeray is adamant that he will do all he can to prevent the show from taking place. He has already filed a petition that the concert be stayed since his efforts to book the Andheri Sports Complex for a dandiya festival from October 7 to October 21 was rejected on the ground that the stadium was being developed and that it could not be given out "for any programme" till December 1996. The dandiya show was to spread AIDS awareness and Ramesh Thackeray’s grouse is that if the ground was not given to him to stage a folk festival, why was it being given for a pop concert?
But all efforts by Ramesh Thackeray as well as by Michael Jackson Fashion India Ltd, which has filed a Rs 100-crore suit against the star on charges of cheating,and the petition filed by G.V. Films of Madras, which had put in the money for Jackson’s aborted tour in 1992 and run up huge losses, came to naught since Wizcraft has got a stay on all the cases. Earlier, the metropolitan magistrate, Mumbai, had issued a summons to Jackson to appear before it in person.
The reason Wizcraft sought the Sena’s support is not hard to understand. According to insiders in the entertainment company, the proceeds being given to the Udyog Sena was primarily to ensure the support of the government in power and to secure the muscle power of the Shiv Sainiks, should there be trouble from political rivals. It is reliably learnt that some Sena leaders had approached the company for funds at a time when the deal with Jackson was being struck. Wizcraft did not take long to link the two and come up with a deal. The setting up of the Udyog Sena was, however, formally announced on October 21.
Sena support was vital for the success of the show for other reasons too. The use of the Andheri Sports Complex requires special state government approval since there is an earlier court judgement that the municipal stadium cannot be given out for shows. The state government also has a say in the waiver of entertainment tax for music shows. A concert by the American rock group, Bon Jovi, was initially given exemption but this was withdrawn a few days before the show, resulting in much loss to the organisers. The dispute over the withdrawal of entertainment tax is still in the court and the organisers feel the exemption given to the Jackson show would help strengthen their case.
Meanwhile, the Sena is trying to project the Udyog Sena as a semi-autonomous body like the Kamgar Sena, thereby absolving itself of its pro-Michael Jackson stance. Minister of Culture Pramod Navalkar was as non-committal as ever when he said he "wouldn’t lay out the red carpet for Jackson". But he is quick to add that "all sorts of people come into the country and one can’t stop them". However, scratch the surface of any Sainik and he will tell you the Jackson show is the Sena’s and shows like this can never happen without Balasaheb’s support.
According to sources in Channel V, two concerts in Mumbai—one by Michael Learns To Rock and the other by Def Leppard—had to be cancelled since the Sena demanded too steep a price for ‘cooperation’. The venue of the first of these concerts was later shifted to Bangalore and the Def Leppard tour was scrapped altogether. However, sources in the entertainment industry say the deal struck between Wizcraft and the Sena is likely to inspire other promoters to bring in more mega rock acts to Mumbai. Only then would it be viable for the Sena.
After the Jackson show, the Sena will be giving its blessings to the Miss World extravaganza in Bangalore. This is an event which has drawn severe flak from several quarters. But Thackeray has been very supportive. "What is wrong with it?" he asks. "At least we will get to see the most beautiful women in the world." Such sense of aesthetics has never been associated with the Sena. And, according to Sena insiders, as the Uma Bharatis and the RSS oppose the show in Bangalore, Thackeray might well suggest to his friend Amitabh Bachchan that the show be shifted to Mumbai. That could ensure more jobs for jobless and homes for the homeless.
