Udayanraje Bhosale says no one in the world can be compared to the king, dares the party to remove the word 'Shiv' from its name
Congress activists hold placards as they raise slogans during a protest against the release of a book titled, 'Aaj ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi', in Thane on Tuesday. Pic/PTI
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Udayanraje Bhosale, who is a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Tuesday said nobody in the world can be compared to the 17th century Maratha warrior king.
Speaking to reporters while condemning a controversial book comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the warrior king, Bhosale dared the Shiv Sena to remove the word 'Shiv' from its name, and rechristen the party "Thackeray Sena." "I would like to see when you change the name, how many people stand behind you," he said.
The former Satara MP hit out at the Shiv Sena for seeking the stand of Shivaji Maharaj's descendants on the book controversy. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday dubbed the book 'Aaj Ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi,' written by BJP leader Jay Bhagwan Goyal, as "insulting," and asked the warrior king's descendants to clarify their stand or quit the BJP over the issue.
Udayanraje Bhosale
"Every time it is said that ask the descendants. When the Shiv Sena was christened when the word 'Shiv' was used, did you come and ask the descendants?" Bhosale asked. Further hitting out at Thackeray's party, which is leading the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance government in the state, he asked, "Why was the word 'Shiv' removed from the 'Maha Shiv Aghadi'?" 'Maha Shiv Aghadi' was the word coined by the media before the three-party alliance of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress were formalised last year.
Bhosale said only Shivaji Maharaj can be called the 'Janata Raja' (the king who knows everything about his people). "Calling someone 'Janata Raja' is belittling Shivaji Maharaj. Nobody in the world can be compared to Shivaji Maharaj," Bhosale said, without taking names. NCP founder Sharad Pawar has also been called 'Janata Raja'.'
Bhosale criticised political parties for using Chhatrapati Shivaji's name for their "convenience."
The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, part of the Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, have criticised the book. BJP's Rajya Sabha member Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, who is also a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has demanded that the book be banned. BJP MLA Shivendraraje Bhosale, another descendant of the Maratha warrior king, said it was unfortunate that some "bootlickers" were creating problems for the party's image.
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