Nobody can be compared to Shivaji, says Udayanraje Bhosale on book row

BJP leader Udayanraje Bhosale, who is the descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Tuesday said nobody in the world can be compared to the 17th century Maratha warrior king.

Talking to reporters here amid the controversy over a book comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Maratha king, Bhosale said only Shivaji Maharaj can be called the 'Janata Raja' (a king who knows everything about his people).

"Calling someone 'Janata Raja' is belittling Shivaji Maharaj," the former Satara MP said, without taking any name.

Notably, NCP chief Sharad Pawar is known as the 'Janata Raja' in political circles.

"There was only one 'Janata Raja' and that was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, so think before calling someone 'Janata Raja'," said Bhosale, who quit the NCP last year to join the BJP.

The book, titled "Aaj Ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi", written by BJP leader Jay Bhagwan Goyal, has created a political storm in Maharashtra, where Shivaji Maharaj is a highly revered figure.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, part of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, have criticised the book for comparing Modi with Shivaji Maharaj, calling it "insulting".