The opposition in Maharashtra has upped the ante against tourism minister and senior BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha over his remarks equating chief minister Eknath Shinde with Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Lodha stoked a controversy by comparing Shivaji’s historic Agra escape to Shinde’s defection from Shiv Sena.
Congress, on Thursday, demanded his resignation while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) slammed him for his “poor knowledge about the Maratha warrior.”
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole demanded that Lodha should immediately resign from his post.
“How can a minister say something like this about Shivaji and that too in Maharashtra. He is now seeking apology. We will not tolerate this. He should resign from his position as Shivaji never forgave traitors. Lodha has gone a step ahead of the governor and BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi in passing remarks against Shivaji Maharaj,” Patole said.
Lodha, however, later said that he did not make any comparison between Shivaji Maharaj and Shinde. “Shivaji Maharaj is highly worshipped and revered. I did not mean to undermine the great warrior,” he said.
Patole also slammed Shinde and BJP for “insulting Shivaji”. “CM Shinde won’t resign because he went up to the position out of fear and corruption. On one hand they pretend to be the admirers of Shivaji and on the other continue to insult him.”
He also urged the MLAs and MPs from the Shinde camp to resign in protest against the insults to Shivaji Maharaj if they had a bit of pride for the Maratha warrior.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the leaders from the ruling BJP have been competing with each other in insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as if they will be rewarded by the central leadership.
“BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Maharaj had apologised, governor BS Koshyari said Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of olden days. Now a minister has equated him with a leader who betrayed a party and the state. The tourism minister should at least know the history of the state and its icon. People come here from across the globe to study Shivaji Maharaj and the tourism minister of the state does not even know the history,” he said.
Industries minister and leader from the Shinde camp Uday Samant said that Raut’s ranting is out if depression of losing the power. “Chief minister Eknath Shinde has already said that we the remarks against the Maharashtra icon and cannot be justified. Despite that, Raut has been raising the same issue again and again. We will not pay heed to it. We take it as entertainment,” he said.
The opposition has already been demanding removal of governor B S Koshyari for his remarks against King Shivaji.