Payal Rohatgi kicked up a controversy on Sunday after she posted a tweet on Shivaji Maharaj's caste. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in shudra varna in a family of farmers and by sacred thread ceremony and remarriage to his spouse made a kshatriya so that he could be coronated King. So people from one Varna could go to another Varna if they acquired that skill. No casteism?" (sic) the actor said in a tweet on Sunday.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged the ruling BJP had paid Rohatgi and others to carry out character defamation of the opposition leaders and other famous social workers on their Twitter handles. "We won't tolerate any disrespect towards Shivaji Maharaj, who is idolised by many. Payal had also defamed Raja Ram Mohan Roy, supported 'Sati' system, and now she has also dared to insult Shivaji Maharaj. This behaviour won't be tolerated," he said.