BJP, BSS attack Pawar for his remark on Sambhaji Maharaj

“The king was never a dharmaveer, he was a swarajya rakshak (defender of independent rule),” Pawar said. “Some people deliberately call him dharmaveer.”

Mumbai: A controversy has broken out over NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s remarks on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the state assembly on Friday where he said that the Maratha king had never upheld dharma or religion in his life. “The king was never a dharmaveer, he was a swarajya rakshak (defender of independent rule),” Pawar said. “Some people deliberately call him dharmaveer.”

Chief minister Eknath Shinde condemned Pawar’s remarks and said that he expected him to speak sensibly. “Chhatrapati Sambhaji fought for the nation, religion and swarajya,” he said. “He did not give in or compromise despite being tortured by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. (ANI)

What Pawar meant was that Sambhaji Maharaj’s kingdom was not based on religious notions but that the prime motive of him and his father, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was independent rule. However, the state’s ruling combine and organisations that follow the Hindu faith have condemned Pawar’s statement and sought an apology from him for “insulting” the Maratha warrior king of the Bhosale clan.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde condemned Pawar’s remarks and said that he expected him to speak sensibly. “Chhatrapati Sambhaji fought for the nation, religion and swarajya,” he said. “He did not give in or compromise despite being tortured by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. One should speak about historical figures with full information. Pawar himself has criticised political leaders for insulting state icons, and now he himself is insulting our historical heroes. I condemn the statement.”

The BJP too has hit out at Pawar. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj protected religion and Hinduism. “Maharaj was asked to convert but he did not agree,” he said. “He made sacrifices for his country, his land and his religion. He did not compromise on swadharma and swarashtra. No matter how hard Pawar and people like him try, Maharaj was a swarajya rakshak and dharmaveer too.”

The BJP also questioned why the Shiv Sena (UBT) was silent on the remark. “The Sena has become ‘secular’ now,” taunted BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar. “Their MLA Bhaskar Jadhav even criticised the state government action against an encroachment near Aurangzeb’s tomb at Pratapgarh. Their silence is not surprising.”

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, taking a punny potshot at Pawar, said, “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is a dharmaveer for us. He wrote books on the Hindu religion but a ‘dharanveer’ (protector of dams) will never understand this.” The reference was to the alleged irrigation scam that Pawar was embroiled in over a decade ago.

The Patit Pawan Sanghatana also staged a protest march in Pune near the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue at Deccan Gymkhana under the leadership of city chief Shrikant Shilimkar.