Bhagat Singh Koshyari claimed that the Brahmin saint was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari claimed that the Brahmin saint was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s statement claiming Sant Samarth Ramdas to be Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s guru has triggered a controversy in the state, with leaders of all parties demanding his apology and withdrawal of the statement.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP and direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Udayanraje Bhosale also asked the governor to withdraw his statement for hurting the statement of Raja’s followers.
Amid tense ties between the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the opposition BJP, a controversial statement by a former BJP leader, Mr Koshyari on a sensitive matter, is set to stir up social and political circles in Maharashtra.
At a function in Aurangabad on Sunday, Mr. Koshyari had said, “Who would give importance to Chandragupta without Chanakya? Who would give importance to Shivaji without Samarth? Shivaji or Chandragupta are not small… but a guru has a very important role in our society.”
Maharashtra has been witness to many controversies over the years over the claim that Brahmin saint Samarth Ramdas was Shivaji’s guru. It has also been claimed that Dadoji Kondadev, another Brahmin in the court of the king’s father Shahaji Maharaj, was Shivaji’s guru.
Many historians and Maratha organizations have contested these claims, bringing forth evidence to the contrary. They claim that Shivaji’s mother, Rajmata Jijau, was his real mentor and inspired him to form his own kingdom, Swarajya.
Mr Koshyari’s statement was refuted by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule, who tweeted the judgment by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on July 16, 2018. “According to the verdict, historians and researchers have concluded that this is not the case. Evidence suggests that Samarth Ramdas and Chhatrapati Shivaji ever met. There is no evidence that the two shared the relationship of a teacher and a student,” she said.
Mr Bhosale tweeted, “Rashtra Mata Jijau was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Despite this, the statement portraying Ramdas as her guru has hurt the sentiments of Maharashtra and Chhatrapati’s followers. They should withdraw the statement immediately. ”
Another NCP MLA Rohit Pawar also demanded an apology from the governor. “If a statement is being made to advance an agenda of false history without understanding the correct statement, then it should be condemned,” he said. Besides, keeping quiet on this is a big act that should be condemned.”
In 2004, controversy erupted over a now banned book by researcher James Laine. Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India It was found that the book made objectionable remarks on Shivaji’s personal life.
The Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha youth organisation, ransacked the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune, where Mr. Lane had done his research and was reportedly fed up with conspiracy theories about Raja’s family.
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