BJP stages protest in Pune as Congress' Harshavardhan Sapkal equates Tipu Sultan and Shivaji Maharaj

Mumbai: The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj-Tipu Sultan issue took a new turn in Maharashtra’s cultural capital of Pune when Congress and BJP workers clashed on Sunday even as the two parties of the opposite political spectrum continued to fire salvos against each other.

The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and right wing organisations have intensified the attack on state Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal while the grand old party hit back.

The row pertains to the presence of a portrait of Tipu Sultan in the office of Malegaon Municipal Corporation deputy mayor Shan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party, which was opposed by corporators of Shiv Sena and some Hindu outfits.

The issue compounded when Sapkal equated Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to Tipu Sultan.

In Pune, the BJP unit staged a protest outside Congress Bhavan.

Maharashtra Congress vice president Mohan Joshi said that a large number of BJP workers, including the newly-elected mayor, Manjusha Nagpure, gathered to protest outside Congress Bhavan and undertook a protest.

Pune Congress president Anand Shinde said that Sapkal's statement has been altered and the protest that BJP has conducted, till today in Pune's history such a protest has never taken place.

“The protest should have been done 100 meters away from the Congress office, they came inside the Congress party and did stone pelting,” he said, adding that such a protest has never happened in the history of Pune.

“Some Congress workers have sustained injuries in the stone-pelting by BJP workers…we demand their immediate arrest,” he said.

“During the protest, stones were pelted at Congress workers and two sustained injuries. We are currently holding a sit-in protest outside the police station in Shivajinagar seeking action,” he said.

Pune NCP (SP) president Prashant Jagtap said that it is a black day in Pune politics “In Pune’s political and social culture, no party normally stages a protest at another party’s office or outside a leader’s house. Unfortunately, today marks the second time in the past six months that the BJP has held such a protest outside the Congress office,” he said.

BJP Pune city president Dheeraj Ghate said there was huge outrage across Maharashtra yesterday. “We have registered an FIR as Sapkal has insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“Do not insult or disrespect Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and do not try to appease voters by relying on such tactics…please do work and influence voters,” demanded Nagpure.

The Patit Pavan Sanghatana staged a protest outside Congress Bhavan, raising slogans and adopting an aggressive stance over Sapkal’s comparison of Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Meanwhile, AICC secretary Sachin Sawant slammed the BJP for double standards. “The BJP loved him once, but for the sake of the polarization agenda, Tipu Sultan has turned bad today. What should we call this duplicity? And yes, Tipu Sultan used to wear rings inscribed with the name of Lord Shri Ram on his fingers,” he said.

The BJP demanded that Sapkal be removed from the post immediately. “Sapkal must immediately apologize by rubbing his nose in the dirt, and moreover, his leader Rahul Gandhi must also take a clear stand and seek forgiveness from Shivabhaktas on this matter. Sapkal must be swiftly removed from his position as state President,” said Mumbai Congress president Ameet Satam.

Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS distance themselves

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-headed MNS have distanced themselves from the comments of state Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal.

“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj cannot be compared to anyone, certainly not Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan may have been the ruler of Mysore, but if you look at his history, it is highly controversial. Pakistan considers him their hero,” Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.

“Comparison of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan is an extremely reprehensible matter,” the MNS said seeking apology of Sapkal to Maharashtra and Shiv-bhakts.

Owaisi joins controversy

AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi too slammed the BJP. “Tipu Sultan was martyred fighting the British in contrast to your Veer (Savarkar) begging for forgiveness and promising to do whatever they said. Tipu Sultan took up his sword and became a martyr in the fight to liberate his country from the British. Is it a lie that APJ Abdul Kalam wrote in his book Wings of Fire that whatever missile technology and rocket technology India has today is inspired by Tipu Sultan. Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his Young Age magazine that Tipu Sultan is the embodiment of Hindu-Muslim unity.”