Amid the ongoing row over Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s comment on Shivaji, which drew the ire of several political leaders in the state, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’ wife Amruta Fadnavis has come out in his support, claiming that he ‘misinterpreted’.
“I know the Governor personally. He learnt Marathi after coming to Maharashtra. He genuinely loves Marathis. I have experienced this myself. But it has happened many times that he has said something and it was give some other interpretation. But he is a Marathi Manoos at heart,” Amruta Fadnavis said, as quoted by NDTV on Friday.
Koshyari kicked up a storm in the state on November 19 when he called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an ‘old idol’.
Addressing a function at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad, the Maharashtra governor said, “Earlier, when you were asked who your icon is, the answers would be Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi. In Maharashtra, you need not look elsewhere (as) there are so many icons here. While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is an icon of the olden days, now there are BR Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari”.
The statement did not go down well with Sena leaders who condemned the governor’s statement saying he is known to disrespect great leaders.
Amruta Fadnavis however seems to be echoing the Deputy CM who on Sunday was slammed for appearing to defend the governor.
“One thing is clear Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will remain a hero and idol of Maharashtra and our country till the Sun and the Moon exist. Even Koshyari had no doubts about this in his mind. Thus, there are various meanings derived from the remarks made by the governor,” he had said, as per PTI.
This drew a sharp response from NCP’s Supriya Sule who asked how Fadnavis, a former chief minister, is defending the “insult” of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
“I was expecting more from Fadnavisji. He was the chief minister for five years. You may have a different ideology, but if Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is being insulted and if you are defending it, then it is unfortunate. Going forward, BJP has no right to take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said in Pune.
The Eknath Shinde-BJP government has since come under fire for their silence regarding Koshyari’s remark.
‘Take Back Amazon Parcel’
In a scathing attack on Koshyari, Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday urged the Centre to take back the ‘Amazon parcel’ which they have sent in form of the Governor.
Threatening to hold protests across the state if the Governor is not removed from his post, Thackeray said, “Take this sample back or send him to old age home. Such a slip of tongue cannot happen every time. Central govt should understand that Maharashtra won’t quietly sit down”.
Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction on Monday also demanded that Koshyari be shifted out of the state.
The sentiments of Sena leaders were also shared by BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who slammed Koshyari and party colleague Sudhanshu Trivedi for their alleged objectionable remarks about the iconic 17th-century king.
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