Politics over statue of Shivaji's guru revives again

DH News Service, Pune, Mumbai,

Mar 07 2018, 18:36 ist
updated: Mar 07 2018, 22:15 ist

Politics over statue of Shivaji's guru revives again

The controversial and vexed issue of statue of Dadoji Konddev, the tutor of young Chhatrapati Shivaji, got revived in Pune on Wednesday, following heated exchanges between activists of Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasangh and Sambhaji Brigade.

In December, 2010, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), had removed the statue of Dadoji Kondev (also spelt Kondeo), and temporarily shifted to the Pula Deshpande Garden in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra.

While Dadoji Konddev is a Brahmin, Shivaji, who laid the foundation of "Hindavi swarajya", was from the Maratha caste.

On Wednesday, coinciding with the death anniversary of Dadoji Kondeo, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasangh went to the PMC building with a painting and offered tribute to Dadoji Kondeo.

While the Brahmin outfit was paying tribute some members of a popular Maratha organisation, Sambhaji Brigade reached the building and entered into a heated argument with them after which the Brahmin outfit members removed the painting.

Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasangh's Pune President Anand Dave said that they have been corresponding with municipal commissioners, mayors and standing committee chairpersons.

"We spoke to Maratha leaders also ...there is no dispute at all," he said, adding that they brought the painting here to place their demands once again and would remove it by the end of day.

However, after a few hours, some agitated members of Sambhaji Brigade came in and raised slogans on Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj.

"We will keep opposing them whenever they will try to install Dadoji's statue," Santosh Shinde, Pune unit chief resident of Sambhaji Brigade, was quoted as saying.