Nothing wrong if people look at Sambhaji Maharaj’s contribution in different ways: Sharad Pawar

Days after Ajit Pawar’s remarks about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj snowballed into a major controversy, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday contradicted his nephew

Days after Ajit Pawar’s remarks about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj snowballed into a major controversy, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday contradicted his nephew. Sharad Pawar told reporters that there is nothing wrong if some people and other elements address Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as Dharmaveer (protector of religion). He was speaking on the sidelines of an event at Baramati.

There is no reason to get into an argument over Dharmaveer, Sharad Pawar (in pic) said. (HT FILE PHOTO)

“If some people, elements in society, while speaking about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, remember his contribution as Swarajya Rakshak, there is nothing wrong with it. If some elements call him Dharmaveer and see his work from a religious angle, I do not have any complaint about that as well. It is their opinion and they have the right to put it forward,” Sharad Pawar said. There is no reason to get into an argument over Dharmaveer or Rakshak as it is the thought behind that person’s faith in Sambhaji Maharaj, he said.

“If one wants to call him Dharmaveer, call him Dharmaveer and respect it. There is nothing wrong with those who call him Rakshak (Swarajya Rakshak) as they are referring to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s contribution to protecting the state from outside attacks after the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and there is no reason to create a dispute over it,” Sharad Pawar said.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s remarks in the state assembly last week that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was not Dharmaveer had drawn the ire of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which termed it an ‘insult’.

Last week during the Nagpur session of the state assembly, Ajit Pawar had said, “We always refer to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as Swarajya Rakshak. But some people are calling him Dharmaveer which is incorrect as Sambhaji Maharaj never championed the cause of any particular religion. His sacrifice and work were for the purpose of national welfare.”

Ajit Pawar’s remarks had drawn protests from the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde camp) and BJP, whose workers had hit the streets. Chief minister Eknath Shinde, along with several senior BJP leaders, had criticised Ajit Pawar and said that Sambhaji Maharaj championed and protected both Swarajya and the Hindu religion while sacrificing his life. “The title Dharmaveer was conferred on Sambhaji Maharaj by his followers during his time. It is not a title that we have conferred on him,” Shinde had said.