Fadnavis slammed the state Congress president for comparing Tipu Sultan with Shivaji (file photo)
State Bureau, Mumbai. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis has expressed strong objection to State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal's comparison of Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Fadnavis not only called this comparison an insult to history, but also took Sapkal to task and said that it has become the culture of Congress to insult great men for their petty politics.
The controversy started with the installation of a picture of Tipu Sultan in the chamber of Malegaon's elected Deputy Mayor Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, right behind his seat. However, after this picture went viral, it was removed from the room.
Controversial statement of Congress state president
But on a question asked in this regard, State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal compared Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had the same bravery and the idea of Swarajya that he gave, later following his footsteps, Tipu Sultan also declared war against the British, and he was called a warrior who showed bravery.
He praised Tipu Sultan, saying that he was the son of the soil of India, and he did not allow any poisonous or distorted ideology to take root in him. Therefore, as a symbol of bravery, we find Tipu Sultan equivalent to Chhatrapati Shivaji.
After this statement of Sapkal, while addressing a public program, Devendra Fadnavis took on State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal and said that there can be no similarity between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan.
Shivaji Maharaj established Swarajya, which was based on respect for all religions and castes. On the other hand, the history of Tipu Sultan is replete with evidence of demolition of temples and forced conversions. In such a situation, comparing the two is a cruel joke on the glorious history of Maharashtra and the country.
Fadnavis sarcastically said that due to vote bank politics, Congress leaders have become so blind that they cannot even understand the difference between a tyrant and a public welfare king. He warned that the people of Maharashtra will definitely respond to such derogatory statements in the times to come.
Fadnavis said that BJP will not tolerate the insult of great men silently. He said that Shivaji Maharaj is our idol. He is a symbol of the identity not only of Maharashtra but of the entire nation. To compare him with someone whose history has been controversial is to hurt the sentiments of crores of Shiva devotees.
BJP demands apology from Congress
After this controversy, the state BJP has demanded an apology from the Congress. BJP spokespersons say that Congress is continuously trying to degrade Hindu sentiments and the history of the glorious Maratha Empire. At present, after this counterattack by Fadnavis, the battle of 'history versus politics' in Maharashtra seems likely to intensify further.
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