Pune: Bharatiya Janata Party MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Thursday slammed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and party colleague Sudhanshu Trivedi for their alleged objectionable remarks about the iconic 17th century king.
He also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded Koshyari’s removal from the post.
While Koshyari is facing flak for calling the founder of the Maratha Empire an icon of olden times, Trivedi allegedly said that Shivaji Maharaj had apologised to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Bhosale, who on Tuesday wrote to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking action against Koshyari and Trivedi, told reporters here that Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar were on stage when the governor spoke about Shivaji Maharaj.
Gadkari and Pawar should have objected to Koshyari’s remarks then and there during the event in Aurangabad on November 20, the Rajya Sabha MP added.
“When I heard the governor’s statement about Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I could not understand what was the basis of such a statement,” Bhosale said, adding the king fought for justice and to free people from slavery when all other rulers had accepted Mughal suzerainty.
“The concept of modern India was put forth by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was the inspiration for freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Krantisinh Nana Patil, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Dr Ambedkar. And now these people say the thoughts of Shivaji Maharaj have become old,” he said.
Slamming Trivedi, Bhosale said when everyone in the country submitted meekly to the Mughal rule, only Shivaji Maharaj stood up against them.
“When such kind of statements are made, are they not ashamed of themselves? On what basis are they making such statements? Such statements make us angry,” he said.
Shivaji Maharaj’s ideology and thoughts cannot be given up if India is to retain its status as the world’s largest democracy, the BJP leader said.
“(If the ideology is forgotten) how much time it will take for the country to get divided into pieces? We have never seen God but Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is God’s incarnation,” he added.
He was sure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has visited Raigad Fort (Shivaji Maharaj’s capital) will look into these statements, Bhosale said.
He would also meet President Droupadi Murmu and the prime minister on the issue, he said.
“Irrespective of the party, they should clarify their stand and should remove both of them. The post of governor is a respectable one. If he (Koshyari) does not understand this responsibility, then he does not have the right to sit on that chair,” Bhosale asserted.
He was an MP, but he was addressing the issue as a representative of Shivaji Maharaj’s dynasty, he said.
In his letter to Fadnavis, Bhosale said it was the people’s demand that action be taken against Koshyari and Trivedi.
The BJP MP, earlier, tweeted images of letters written to President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on the issue..
In the letter to Modi, Bhosale said the prime minister’s visit to Raigad Fort and unveiling of the new naval flag which features Shivaji Maharaj’s seal proved his “dedication” towards the iconic king.
“…but it would also be appropriate to remove the Hon Governor of Maharashtra as his statements seem very contradictory to the dedication you hold towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” the letter read.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Siasat desk and is published from a syndicated feed.)
