Row Erupts Over Dhirendra Shastri’s Remarks On Shivaji Maharaj

Mumbai: The claims of Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, exhausted after many battles towards the end of his life, entrusted the administration of the Maratha kingdom to Saint Samarth Ramdas, sparked a major political controversy. Opposition leaders accused him, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of distorting history.

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal accused the preacher of improperly associating Shivaji Maharaj with Ramdas Swami.

Speaking at an RSS event in Nagpur on Friday, Shastri said Shivaji Maharaj felt exhausted after many battles and once approached Samarth Ramdas and offered him his crown and expressed his desire to live a peaceful life. According to Shastri, Ramdas returned the crown and urged him to continue ruling, saying that true service lies in fulfilling one’s responsibilities despite personal fatigue.

Calling Shastri a “self-described godman”, Mr. Sapkal termed these statements “highly objectionable”.

“Though he made these remarks in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, none of them registered a protest. Insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the national policy of the BJP and RSS and they do not accept his ideals and contributions. Maharashtra will never tolerate such an insult,” he said.

The Congress leader also demanded a public apology from Shastri, BJP leaders and the RSS chief to the people of Maharashtra. He also claimed that Shivaji Maharaj had never met Samarth Ramdas and alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to portray Ramdas as Shivaji Maharaj’s guru.

NCP’s Amol Mitkari also criticized Shastri and stated that Maharashtra will not accept any distortion of Shivaji Maharaj’s history.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Fadnavis said that there is no historical record to support Shastri’s claim. “Many lok katha (folk narratives) exist about great personalities and different states have different stories. But we do not have any record of such claims in Maharashtra,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader and Cabinet minister Sanjay Shirsat also expressed his displeasure over Shastri.’s comments.