NCP chief Sharad Pawar says nothing wrong if people look at Sambhaji Maharaj's contribution in different ways

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said it was not wrong to think of the 17th century ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj either as a saviour of religion or the protector of Swarajya, the independent Maratha state founded by his father.

Controversy broke last month when Pawar’s nephew and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said in the Maharashtra Assembly that Sambhaji, the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was `Swarajya-rakshak and not Dharmaveer (protector of religion) as portrayed by some right-wing Hindu groups.

It drew sharp reactions, with the Bharatiya Janata Party calling it an insult to Sambhaji Maharaj. If some people in society remember Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s contribution as protector of Swarajya, there is nothing wrong with that, Sharad Pawar told reporters at Baramati in Pune district. If some elements call him Dharmaveer and look at his work from the religious angle, I do not have any complaint about it either, he added.

But he was worried about some people complaining about not using the epithet Dharma-rakshak or Dharmaveer, Pawar added. There was no reason to get into argument over such issues, he said.

Those who call Sambhaji Maharaj Swarajya Rakshak are acknowledging his role in protecting the state from invaders after the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Pawar said.