Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari’s statement claiming saint Samarth Ramdas was a guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has created a row in the State with leaders across parties demanding his apology and retraction of the statement.
Udayanraje Bhosle, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, too asked the Governor to retract his statement for hurting the statement of the followers of the king.
Amid strained relations between the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the Opposition BJP, the controversial statement on a sensitive matter by Mr. Koshiyari, a former BJP leader, is set to stir social and political circles in Maharashtra.
At a function in Aurangabad on Sunday, Mr. Koshiyari had said, “Who would give importance to Chandragupta without Chanakya? Who would give importance to Shivaji without Samartha? Shivaji or Chandragupta are not small... But our society has a very important role of a guru.”
For years, Maharashtra has witnessed a number of controversies over the claim that Brahmin saint Samarth Ramdas was a guru of Shivaji. Claims have also been made that Dadoji Konddeo, another Brahmin in the court of the king’s father Shahaji Maharaj, was a guru of Shivaji.
Several historians and Maratha organisations have opposed these claims, bringing out contrary evidence. They claim that Shivaji’s mother, Rajmata Jijau, was his real guru and inspired him to create his own kingdom, the Swarajya.
Mr. Koshiyari’s statement was rebutted by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule who tweeted the verdict by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court from July 16, 2018. “As per the verdict, historians and researchers have concluded that there is no evidence to show that Samarth Ramdas and Chhatrapati Shivaji had ever met. There is no evidence that both shared a relationship of a teacher and a student,” she said.
"Rashtramata Jijau was a guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj. Despite that, the statement portraying Ramdas as his guru has hurt the sentiments of Maharashtra and followers of Chhatrapati. He must immediately retract the statement," tweeted Mr. Bhosle.
Another NCP MLA Rohit Pawar too demanded an apology from the Governor. “If the statement is being made to push an agenda with false history without understanding the true version, then it should be condemned. Moreover, sitting quiet over this is a bigger act to be condemned,” he said.
In 2004, a controversy broke out over the now banned book by researcher James Laine Shivaji: Hindu king in Islamic India after it was found that the book had made objectionable comments on the private life of Shivaji.
The Sambhaji Brigade, Maratha youth organisation, had vandalised the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune where Mr. Laine did his research and was allegedly fed with conspiracy theories about the family of the king.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole questioned the silence of Maharashtra BJP leadership on a statement made by Mr Koshyari. “He is using his constitutional position and working at the behest of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by pushing its agenda of distorting the history. He should immediately tender an unconditional apology,” said Mr Patole.
Vinod Patil, one of the petitioners in the Maratha reservation case said that one should keep quiet while talking about issues of which one has no knowledge of. “He should be immeditely removed from the position and apologise to Maharashtra, otherwise be prepared for some action,” he said.
