Belagavi :
Alleging that no Maratha rituals were followed to dedicate the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji which was unveiled recently at Rajhunsghad in Belagavi, the pro-Maharashtrian Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) has decided to purify the statue by doing ‘kshirabhisheka’ (washing the statue with milk) on March 19.
MES is trying to cash in on the occasion to regain its hold on Marathas in Belagavi. The organisation will bring mashaals (fire torches) from every fort in Maharashtra which would be taken to Rajhunsghad in procession from Sambhaji Circle (Bogarves Circle) in Belagavi. It also formed a 25-member team to make the event a success.
Rajhunsghad and its surrounding villages in the western part of the Belagavi Rural constituency are dominated by Marathis. The statue was part of an attempt by both parties to woo this vote bank.
MES won five seats in the district in the state assembly polls in the 80s and 90s of last century. Its influence steadily diminished and it lost all the seats in the 2008 election.
The 36-foot heigh bronze statue of Shivaji sitting on a throne was unveiled twice by the BJP and Congress separately. Unveiling the statue and dedicating the fort constructed by Rattas on which the statue was established created a tussle between both parties.
{{/usCountry}}The 36-foot heigh bronze statue of Shivaji sitting on a throne was unveiled twice by the BJP and Congress separately. Unveiling the statue and dedicating the fort constructed by Rattas on which the statue was established created a tussle between both parties.
{{/usCountry}}The political rivalry broke out again between Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar and BJP’s Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi in the matter. Hebbalkar in whose constituency the ghad existed and Jarkiholi claimed rights over unveiling the statue.
Hebbalkar said she would carry out the programme as she got sanction for the project and also got funds released from the government. However, Jarkiholi argued that the project was drafted and tabled by the then BJP MLA Sanjay Patil and claimed that though funds were released in her term it was his government which released the funds. The programme must be conducted according to government protocol and like a private programme.
Hebbalkar had announced that the statue would be unveiled by Sambhajiraje, the 13th descendant of Shivaji, on March 5 for which leaders from her party in Karnataka and Maharashtra were the guests. Jarkiholi forced the government and dedicated the fort and unveiled the statue by CM Basavaraj Bommai on March 2.
Alleging that unveiling the statue of Shivaji twice was an insult to the Marathas since no Maratha rituals were followed, the MES has said that their event will pay respect to Shivaji. The move is seen as a desperate attempt to reassure the voters by the MES, which was caught napping, said police observers.
MES said the sanctity of the statue was sullied by both the parties utilising the name of Shivaji for their political gain. Both parties insulted Shivaji by wrongly unveiling his statue.
It expressed grief as a few politicians and Shambhuraje attended the programme which was a setback to Marathis’ fighting against Karnataka over the border issue. MES city block president Deepak Dalavi said “We are the real Marathas of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The statue was not unveiled according to Maratha tradition and rituals and not with clean heart. The lost sanctity of the statue would be reformed by conducting Ksheerabhisheka.”
Former MLA Manohar Kinekar of Belagavi Rural said.,“Marathas must unite to show our strength to those who fought for the claim.”