Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday asserted that any description of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a looter wouldn’t be tolerated, following remarks by NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Jayant Patil, who claimed that the Maratha king had sought extortion from Surat to develop Swarajya. Fadnavis known as on Indian students to unite and proper the misguided portrayal of the Maratha empire’s founder by English historians.
“Shivaji Maharaj is being seen from the prism of English historians,” the BJP chief acknowledged, urging students to rectify these misinterpretations, as quoted by information company PTI. “My solely level is my king was by no means a looter. I can’t tolerate anybody calling my king a looter. Maharaj was by no means a plunderer. He by no means bothered a typical man,” Fadnavis instructed reporters in Mumbai.
The Deputy Chief Minister additionally criticised the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), remarking that leaders whose authorities was labelled as an “extortionist authorities” would naturally view historic occasions via the lens of extortion. His feedback had been in response to Patil, who had earlier acknowledged that Shivaji Maharaj had demanded extortion from Surat.
At an occasion on Friday, Patil mentioned, “Chhatrapati Shivaji had knowledgeable Surat that we (Maratha military) want extortion of a certain amount. Nevertheless, when the quantity was not paid, a messenger was despatched by the Mughals to assault Shivaji Maharaj, resulting in the looting of Surat after the messenger was killed.” Patil added that whereas looters act to fill their coffers, Shivaji Maharaj used the wealth to ascertain Swarajya.
ALSO READ | Narayan Rane Says ‘Shivaji Looted Surat’, Counters Fadnavis’ ‘Shivaji By no means Looted Surat’ Comment
Devendra Fadnavis’ Comment Spark Row Over Shivaji Maharaj ‘Looting’ Surat
The controversy reignited when Fadnavis lately raised the 1664 battle of Surat, the place Shivaji Maharaj’s forces defeated Mughal commander Inayat Khan. Fadnavis accused the Congress of misrepresenting historical past, educating that Shivaji Maharaj had plundered Surat, a declare he refuted by saying, “Maharaj did not loot Surat. He solely took again Swarajya’s treasure from applicable individuals.” The BJP’s stance has been met with opposition from the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, who accused the get together of trying to rewrite historical past.
On the continuing debate, senior BJP chief and former Union minister Narayan Rane on September 2 weighed in, asserting that Shivaji Maharaj had certainly looted Surat. “I’m not a historian,” Rane mentioned throughout a media interplay on the BJP headquarters in Mumbai, “However from no matter I’ve learn, heard, and identified from historian Babasaheb Purandare, ‘Shivaji Maharaj ni Surat la loot keli’ (Shivaji Maharaj had looted Surat),” he was quoted by Indian Categorical as saying.
Rane’s remarks got here only a day after Fadnavis criticised the Congress for spreading what he known as “false propaganda” towards Shivaji Maharaj.