Facing backlash over ‘insults’, State plans grand Shivaji Jayanti celebrations

Mumbai: After facing backlash over ‘insults’ to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Shinde-Fadnavis government has planned a grand six-day celebration on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the warrior king on February 19

Mumbai: After facing backlash over ‘insults’ to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Shinde-Fadnavis government has planned a grand six-day celebration on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the warrior king on February 19.

HT Image

The festival named ‘Mahadurg Utsav’ will began from February 18 at Shivneri Fort in Pune, the birth place of Shivaji Maharaj.

Several cultural, musical events and conferences are among other activities planned for the Shivaji Jayanti celebrations. The state tourism department has issued a request for proposal for appointing an event management firm to conduct the programme.

“The firm is expected to prepare a master plan and ensure a smooth execution and management. It will also have to set up necessary infrastructure for organising the events in three activity zones such as tent city, cultural activity zone and arts and craft mela zone,” a senior official from the state tourism department said and added that the central theme of the festival is ‘Celebration of our revered king and pride of Maharashtra—Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’.

The department has received three bids that are going to be opened on Tuesday.

The ruling alliance of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was at the receiving end after a series of controversies that started with governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari referring to Shivaji as a “hero of the past era” while hailing Dr BR Ambedkar and union minister Nitin Gadkari as “present heroes”. The row grew bigger when Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP national spokesperson, while defending Vinayak Damodar Savarkar over his clemency petitions, said that the people used to write mercy petitions in a prescribed format to get released from jail and Shivaji Maharaj too had written five letters to Aurangzeb.

This evoked strong reactions from across the state leading to protests against BJP and its leaders, demanding apology and Koshyari’s ouster. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders too held ‘Halla Bol Morcha’ in Mumbai on December 17 last year.