Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has been relentlessly running controversial and latent left-liberal intellectual agenda in Maharashtra since its inception, finds itself in a great embarrassing and piquant dilemma as one of its party leaders – leader of the opposition Ajit Pawar – making absolutely unacceptable and adversial remarks on one if the most revered Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
On the last day of the Assembly session, Ajit Pawar alleged in the House that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was not a Dharmaveer but a Swarajya Rakshak.
Ajit Pawar’s sadistic satire on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj drew a massive controversy, pushing NCP on defensive, as entire Maharashtra affectionately calls Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as ‘Dharmaveer’ as he was tortured and killed by Aurangzeb in an inhuman and heinous fashion after refusing to accept Islam and thereby embarrassing fanatic Islamists and declined to give up his Hindu religion.
Ajit Pawar’s statement caused a massive unrest in Maharashtra as several organizations took to the streets to protest and negate his views. Ruling BJP organized protest marches across the state to condemn the members of a fake and vaguely powerful Pawar family (Ajit Pawar is the nephew of Sharad Pawar).
Considering large-scale ire and popular sentiments among the people, not a single prominent NCP leader came forward to the rescue of Ajit Pawar. Notwithstanding, NCP chief Sharad Pawar himself owned his nephew and his adverse commentary, refuting that it was not harmful to describe Sambhaji Maharaj as Dharmaveer along with Swarajya Rakshak. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje of Kolhapur also condemned the abusive views furled by by Ajit Pawar.
After a gap of five days, Ajit Pawar addressed media persons when he categorically stated that he had not committed any mistake by describing Sambhaji Maharaj as Swarajya Rakshak and gratuitously did not want to call him Dharmveer. Ajit Pawar, however, claimed that he concurred with what his uncle and party chief had said about the issue. Ajit Pawar might have put up a brave face but he had been eloping himself for five days from public scene. He neither attended a single public function nor appeared before the media, after the controversy broke up.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was quick to counter attack Ajit Pawar. He lambasted Ajit claiming, “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj protected Dharma, Swadharma, and Hinduism. Why did Aurangzeb kill him?
Ajit Pawar’s Assembly speech was aired live in which he contrived, “I would like to say it again that we purposefully called Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Swarajya Rakshak. There are a few people who call him Dharmaveer. The king was never a Dharmaveer. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj never upheld Dharma anywhere in his life. Some people keep calling him Dharmaveer, Dharmaveer, Dharmaveer. When I was a minister in the state government, while taking any decision, I would always tell everyone involved that we should call him Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj”
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was quick to counter attack Ajit Pawar. He lambasted Ajit claiming, “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj protected Dharma, Swadharma, and Hinduism. Why did Aurangzeb kill him? Sambhaji Maharaj was asked to convert but he did not budge an inch from his firm stand and belief not to convert. He sacrificed himself for his country, for his own land, and for his own religion. He was literally dissected into pieces. However, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj did not give up Swadharma and Swarashtra. So, no matter how hard Ajit Pawar and people like his thoughts tried, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was not only a Swarajya Rakshak but also a Dharmaveer.”
Ajit Pawar’s statement on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is seen as an attempt to portray history from left-liberal and secular perspective, in which Hindu religion has no space. A day after Ajit Pawar’s statement, NCP’s another vocal leader Jitendra Avhad, said that Aurangzeb was not at all a cruel ruler. Aurangzeb would have easily demolished Vishnu temple at Bahadurgarh, where Sambhaji Raje was taken. Avhad’s remarks further added fuel and added salt to the injury by the controversy caused by Ajit Pawar.
Ajit Pawar and Jitnedra Avhad were badly trolled on social media, exposing how Pawar’s have been anti-Hindu for decades together. NCP leaders, who are otherwise vocal and do not miss a single opportunity to air their views, were conspicuous by their absence in view of the possible political damage. Ajit Pawar’s effigies were burnt at several places. Hindu organizations have demanded unconditional apology and resignation of Ajit Pawar.
This is not the first incident in which NCP leaders are distorting historical facts.
Maharashtra is a witness to a systematic and well-designed conspiracy and hatching of plan to project history in a particular manner to appease minorities. This school of thought always tries to project Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a secular king and argues that Chhatrapati Shivaji’s fight against Mughals was political and not religious, neglecting all the historical evidence. Sambhaji Brigade is one of such organizations as the entire Maharashtra knows the guiding force behind them. It is not a coincidence that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was the chief guest of silver jubilee function of Sambhaji Brigade, which was held last month.
The people of Maharashtra were devastatingly hurt and greatly angered because of the manner in which Ajit Pawar sought to ridicule religious angle in the killing of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. His tone, body language and mannerism reflected his attitude, which was found offending and highly objectionable by Hindus. Ajit Pawar conveniently neglected the fact that the memorial of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Tulapur near Pune, where he was killed by Aurangzeb, was inaugurated by Sharad Pawar in 2000 himself.. The plaque at Tulapur memorial still describes Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as Dharmaveer.
Entire Maharashtra knows that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj made supreme sacrifice by refusing to convert to Islam. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, along with Kavi Kalash, were brought to Tulapur, near Pune city, in February 1689. All the historical evidence is clear and transparent that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was mercilessly killed by Aurangzeb. A number of series of historical evidence depict that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was tortured as he refused to convert to Islam. The description of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s torture is horrifying.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were dressed as clowns with bells around their necks. They were paraded on the camel. They were brought to Aurangzeb darbar in a humiliating and insulting manner. Aurangzeb had promised to release him free if he adopted Islam but Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj declined hus mercy and did not give up his religion. This historical fact is confirmed by all the revered historians, including Riyasatkar G S Sardesai.
Angered by denial, Aurangzeb ordered to nip the eyes of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, eyes and chop off the tongue of Kavi Kalash. Nails of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj were peeled off one by one. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj had been tortured by Aurangzeb for almost a fortnight but he never budged. Later, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was beheaded, his limbs were detached while he was still alive and the flesh was fed to stray dogs.
Later, heads of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were paraded to mark Aurangzeb’s victory over Hindvi Swarajya. Apart from this supreme sacrifice, several pieces of evidence are there in records, which categorically underline and highlight that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj had deep faith in Hindu religion.
Hindu organisations have accused Pawar family of twisting the historical facts to hurt Hindu sentiments. Several instances are being circulated on social media to show how Pawar and his party has been adopting anti-Hindu controversial standard for years. This has pushed Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in a critical and condemnable, embarrassing situation. Uddhav’s Sena has not distanced itself from Ajit Pawar’s statement. Congress, as usual, is silent on the issue.
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