Fadnavis affirms 'Shivaji Maharaj remains our hero' as Maharashtra Governor sparks row

Amid calls for Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's ouster over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis issued his first reaction on Sunday. Speaking at a function on November 19, the Governor earned the ire of the opposition by dubbing the legendary king an icon from the olden days while referring to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as modern-day icons. Addressing a media briefing in Pune, Fadnavis opined that the Governor didn't intend to insult Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and affirmed that he will remain everyone's ideal forever. 

Devendra Fadnavis stated, "Until the sun and the moon exist, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will remain the ideal of Maharashtra, the country and us. In modern-day parlance, our hero is also Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. No one has any doubt about this. I don't think the Governor has any doubt about this either. The Governor's comments have been interpreted differently. But I feel that he doesn't harbour such a sentiment. No other person apart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj can be an ideal in Maharashtra and the country." 

On November 19, Bhagat Singh Koshayi remarked, "If someone asks you who is your icon, who is your favourite hero, you don't need to go outside. You will get him (icons) in Maharashtra itself. Shivaji is from the old era. I am talking about the new era. You will get many (icons). From Dr. Ambedkar to Nitin Gadkari, you will get icons here." 

Koshyari sparks row

While the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was in power, a row erupted on February 27 when the Maharashtra Governor asserted in a function in Aurangabad that Samarth Ramdas was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Taking objection to this comment, MVA claimed that this was a distortion of history and sought his apology. Koshyari had said, "Who would have asked about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had there not been Samarth (Ramdas)"?

Thereafter, the Maharashtra Congress unit circulated a video of his remarks made during the inauguration of Savitribai Phule's statue at the Savitribai Phule Pune University on February 14. On that occasion, Koshyari mocked the child marriage of Savitribai Phule with Jyotirao Phule. She opined, "Savitri Bai was married off at the age of 10. And her husband was 13. Now imagine what the boy and girl must be doing after getting married! What they must be thinking"! After facing a severe backlash across the political spectrum, he apologised.