In a bid to settle the ongoing controversy over Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks on Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj which caused uneasiness in the newly formed alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde), Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said Shivaji Maharaj is their God and they revere him even more than our parents.
Gadkari tweeted a video in which he is seen eulogising Shivaji praising his personality.
His comment came hours after Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction demanded that Maharashtra Governor be shifted out of the state.
Gaikwad, who represents the Buldhana Assembly constituency, claimed that Koshyari had made statements about the founder of the Maratha Empire and stoked controversy in the past as well.
"The governor should understand that the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never age and he cannot be compared to any other great person in the world. My request to BJP leaders at the Centre is that a person who does not know the history of the state and how it functions, be sent somewhere else," the MLA said.
Shinde is an MLA of the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction of the party led by Shinde who helms the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
What the Governor said about Shivaji
Koshyari had, on Saturday, said Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of "olden days" and referred to Babasaheb Ambedkar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari while talking about "icons" in the state, drawing criticism from the NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction.
The Governor made the remarks after conferring D.Litt degrees on senior BJP leader Gadkari and NCP president Sharad Pawar at an event held in Aurangabad.
BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) alliance faces trouble
It is an awkward situation for BJP which is in power in the state and Centre as well. Now, it would be politically interesting to see how the situation develops further in the coming days.
(With PTI input)
