Shivaji remarks row escalates, Maratha warrior king’s descendants warn of Maharashtra bandh unless Governor is not removed from his post

@the_news_21

Mumbai: Descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Udayanraje Bhosale and Kolhapur royal Sambhaji Chhatrapati – have expressed regret that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had not yet apologized for his allegedly objectionable remarks about the iconic 17th century warrior king.

While Udayanraje Bhosale met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday on the issue, Sambhaji Chhatrapati warned that there was no option but to call for a Maharashtra bandh unless Governor Koshyari was removed from his post soon. Speaking in New Delhi after his meeting with the PM, Udayanraje Bhosale said that the Maharashtra Governor’s statements called for a swift solution.

While unwilling to criticize his own party, the BJP, he said: “Action will be taken as per procedure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of the gravity of the matter. All the MPs from Maharashtra who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today are unanimous about action against the Governor,” he said.

At the same time, Udayanraje Bhosale defended the BJP, remarking: “The BJP did not tell the Governor to make such statements. The party cannot be held responsible for his remarks. It is regrettable that the Governor has not apologized till now.”

The royal from Satara disclosed that soon after the Governor’s insulting remarks, a letter was written to the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister on November 23.

Udayanraje Bhosale further remarked, “The President’s secretary has sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs on this matter. A letter has also been sent to the PM’s office. There is a feeling that there should be no quarrels and rifts over this issue as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is an identity of Maharashtra as well as that of the country.”

Governor Koshyari has been facing constant criticism from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties for calling the 17th century Maratha king “an icon for older times” during a function in Aurangabad district last month. This prompted both royals slamming the Governor and demanding his removal from the Governor’s post.

Fellow royal from neighbouring Kolhapur, Sambhaji Chhatrapati lashed out at Governor Koshyari’s reluctance to tender an apology despite ‘insulting’ the warrior king twice. “Such a Governor has no right to stay in Maharashtra and should be expelled immediately,” demanded the former BJP MP, while speaking to newspersons in Pimpri on Thursday.

He also expressed the possibility of “a planned conspiracy” behind the Governor’s repeated insulting statements about Maharashtra’s great personalities like Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule.

During his speech at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad in the presence of Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari in November, Governor Koshyari had said that while Chhatrapati Shivaji was an “icon for an earlier era”, Nitin Gadkari was an icon for the modern generation.

This is not the first time that Governor Koshyari – who has frequently been accused by the MVA as a partisan of the BJP – has courted controversy from his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Earlier this year, the Governor was criticised by the MVA for allegedly mocking 19th century social reformers Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule for “getting married at a young age”. He also stoked controversy when he said Samarth Ramdas was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘guru’ contrary to historical evidence.