The opposition NCP,
Congress, Shiv Sena, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's direct descendant Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati all fiercely criticised the former after BJP legislator Mr. Prasad Lad claimed that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in the Konkan region. Lad's remark came in the midst of ongoing controversy following statements made by Governor BS Koshyari that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is an icon of the earlier days, a claim made by BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi that Shivaji had apologised to Aurangzeb five times, and a comparison made by Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha between Shivaji's miraculous escape from the Agra fort.
After a scandal, Mr. Lad apologised, claiming that it was not his goal to offend anyone but that he sincerely regrets any wounded feelings. Although the BJP has been trying to play down previous concerns surrounding statements made by Koshyari and other party leaders over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the party cut a terrible figure in the wake of Mr. Lad's remarks. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established Hindavi Swarajya," said Mr. Lad on Saturday while speaking at the Swarajya Bhoomi Konkan event in Mumbai. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in Konkan, spent his formative years there, and also took the Swarajya oath there in the fort at Raigad. By coincidence, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in the Pune district's Shivneri fort.
NCP, on the other hand, retaliated against Mr. Lad by posting a video in which he made it abundantly obvious that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in Konkan. In the Konkan festival event, BJP MLA Prasad Lad claimed that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in Konkan. Give your MLAs history lessons instead of instructing others in it, the NCP said, failing to mention the BJP.
Mr. Suraj Chavan, a spokesman for the
NCP, questioned whether BJP officials were competing to make fun of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I strongly condemn Prasad Lad for not knowing where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born and spent his formative years despite the fact that he was born in Maharashtra. Prasad Lad's statement insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj needs to be looked into, he said, adding that the NCP will start an uprising if Mr. Lad does not retract his statement. Sanjay Raut, a UBT
Shiv Sena member, attacked the BJP and Lad.
