Jain community leaders condemn monk’s controversial remark on Maratha queen

The controversy relates to Jain Muni Acharya Nayan Padmasagar’s claim that Maharani Tarabai belonged to the Jain community during a recent event in Mumbai, a comment that invited angry responses from Maratha community members.

PUNE: Senior leaders from the Jain community condemned a Jain monk’s recent statement regarding legendary 18th-century Maratha queen, Maharani Tarabai, and appealed to him to focus on social reforms rather than on creating political controversy.

TOPSHOT - Indian Jains Sanjaybhai Shah (L), his son Darshil Shah (C), and Dharmeshbhai Shah (R) stand together after a ceremony where they renounced their material lifestyles to become Jain monks on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on April 25, 2018. Six women and three men from wealthy families undertook rituals on April 25 as part of a ceremony to become Jain nuns and monks, while being watched by a large Jain congregation. Strict Jain devotees renounce the material world, become vegans and follow a code of non-violence against all living things. / AFP PHOTO / SAM PANTHAKY (AFP)

The controversy relates to Jain Muni Acharya Nayan Padmasagar’s claim that the queen belonged to the Jain community during a recent event in Mumbai, a comment that invited angry responses from Maratha community members.

Against this backdrop, leaders from both the Jain and Maratha communities held a joint press conference on Tuesday and stated, “We have always maintained social harmony in Maharashtra. Jain and Maratha communities used to celebrate all their festivals together.”

Jain leader Akshay Jain and Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) member Laxmikant Khabia said that these kinds of statements are politically motivated. “Instead of disturbing social harmony, the monks should focus on social reforms,” they said. “The Jain community maintains distance from such statements.”

Jain added that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is their idol and such statements unnecessarily disturb social harmony.

Responding to their statements, Maratha Morcha’s Aniket Deshmane said, “It is a good thing that instead of supporting their monks, leaders from the Jain community are joining ranks with us to ensure social harmony. Jains are a peace-loving community.”