Rajya Sabha member Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, 13th descendent of the great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Wednesday demanded that the state government "correct" names of all public institutions bearing the name of his illustrious predecessor. In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, a nominated Rajya Sabha Member (2016), said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is revered among all the people of the state.
"However, in recent times, the manner in which his name is referred to has become a matter of considerable debate. Whether it was the recent Amitabh Bachchan incident or the Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad episode, in both instances, the people had strongly opposed it," Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati pointed out.
In order to avoid this, he suggested a permanent solution to Thackeray to "rename" all institutions bearing the name of 'Shivaji' with the full expanded version of 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj'.
He also urged Thackeray to review and withdraw the cases filed against the Maratha reservation agitation in 2017-2018 when the community had taken to the streets for their rights.
Some of the accused have been dragged unnecessarily into the cases and he had raised the matter with the previous Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, he added.
Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati's letter came after the state announced it would review/withdraw cases filed by the previous government against those agitating in Aarey Colony matter and the anti-Nanar protests. The NCP has sought withdrawal of cases in the Koregaon-Bhima matter, and others.
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