Mumbai, Apr 25 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday accused spiritual preacher Dhirendra Shastri of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by linking him to Samarth Ramdas.
“Do not connect Shivaji Maharaj and Ramdas Swami. They belong to different periods. This is a deliberate attempt by the BJP to distort history,” he said in a press conference.
Sapkal alleged that “insulting” Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the national policy of the BJP and the RSS.
“The people of Maharashtra would not tolerate any disrespect to Shivaji Maharaj. Dhirendra Shastri, (Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis, (Union minister) Nitin Gadkari and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should issue a public apology to Maharashtra,” he said.
He claimed that although Shastri made the “highly objectionable” comments in the presence of these leaders, none of them registered even a basic protest.
“Shivaji Maharaj is revered across the country. His ideas guided both Maharashtra and the nation. The concept of Hindvi Swarajya is reflected even in the Constitution,” Sapkal said.
The Congress leader alleged that writings by RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar and Hindutva leader V D Savarkar contained objectionable references to Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
Shastri purportedly said that Shivaji Maharaj had approached “his guru”, Samarth Ramdas, after years of warfare and expressed a desire to renounce his responsibilities and rest.
Shastri also claimed that Samarth Ramdas placed the crown offered to him by Chhatrapati Shivaji back on his head and instructed him to continue governing, reminding him that true service lies in fulfilling one’s responsibilities despite personal exhaustion.
Shastri, also known as Baba Bageshwar Dham, had attended a foundation stone-laying ceremony in Nagpur a day before.
Reacting to the comments made by Shastri, Chief Minister Fadnavis earlier in the day said, “No such example is there in the history which we have learnt or the books available”.
Noting that stories about great personalities often evolve differently over time and citing the examples of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Fadnavis said various folk versions exist in different regions.
He also said people should avoid unnecessary controversy and react responsibly.
“People should understand things properly before reacting. Creating unnecessary chaos is not right,” he has said. PTI MR NSK
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