Wardha, February 15 Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said on Sunday that his statement about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan is being criticized by the BJP, as the party wants to divert people's attention from the core issues of the state and also from the contents of the Epstein files.
Sapkal is facing criticism from the BJP for equating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the 18th-century ruler of Mysuru, Tipu Sultan. He made this controversial remark while answering media queries in Buldhana about the portrait of Tipu Sultan in the office of Malegaon deputy mayor, Shan-e-Hind, Nihal Ahmed, and the opposition to it by the Shiv Sena and some Hindu organizations.
Speaking to reporters in Wardha on Sunday, Sapkal said that he had already clarified his earlier statement, but the BJP is trying to create mischief.
"The BJP is spreading misinformation related to my statement. I want to humbly and with equal pride tell them here that they don't need to teach us about Shivaji Maharaj. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Hindavi Swarajya, is the pride, honor, and glory of Maharashtra and our Congress. His courage is unparalleled, and because of his courage, Hindavi Swarajya was established, and the inspiration of that Swarajya directly reaches our Constitution," Sapkal said.
Sapkal said that his earlier statement was about Tipu Sultan following the Swarajya ideal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in his fight against the British.
"However, the statement being promoted is BJP's mischief," Sapkal said, adding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had criticized him for his remarks about Tipu Sultan, but remained silent when he (Fadnavis) was compared to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
"The meaning of all this is clear. They (BJP) want to divert attention from the core issues of Maharashtra and from the Epstein files, in which a lot is hidden. Bringing caste and religion into every matter is the BJP's old tactic. They are using my responsible statement and giving it a Hindu-Muslim angle," Sapkal added.
He also said that the BJP had used images of Tipu Sultan across Maharashtra during their campaigns, but was now carrying out protests, including plans to burn his effigy.
Will the BJP also burn the effigy of VD Savarkar who made wrong statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji and that of former governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for distorted remarks against the warrior king, Sapkal questioned.
