Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, slammed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and party colleague Sudhanshu Trivedi for their alleged objectionable remarks about the iconic 17th century king.
Udayanraje Bhosale also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded Koshyari's removal from the post. While Koshyari is facing flak for calling the founder of the Maratha Empire an icon of olden times, Trivedi allegedly said that Shivaji Maharaj had apologised to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
When I heard the governor's statement about Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I could not understand what was the basis of such a statement, Bhosale said, adding the king fought for justice and to free people from slavery when all other rulers had accepted Mughal suzerainty.
Bhosale, who on Tuesday wrote to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking action against Koshyari and Trivedi, told reporters here that Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar were on stage when the governor spoke about Shivaji Maharaj.
When such kind of statements are made, are they not ashamed of themselves? On what basis are they making such statements? Such statements make us angry, he said. Shivaji Maharaj's ideology and thoughts cannot be given up if India is to retain its status as the world's largest democracy, the BJP leader said.