Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday strongly criticised the opposition for demanding action against journalist Prashant Koratkar and Marathi actor Rahul Solapurkar over their alleged remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
He dismissed the accusations as “chillar” (trivial) and questioned whether the opposition would apologise for past statements made by NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad and former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding Shivaji Maharaj.
During a heated session in the State Legislative Council on Wednesday, the opposition called for the immediate arrest of Koratkar and Solapurkar. Opposition leader Ambadas Danve accused the government of selective action, questioning why Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi had not been arrested for allegedly glorifying Aurangzeb.
“The government is merely putting on a show by taking action against Azmi. If he can be punished, why haven’t Koratkar and Solapurkar been arrested yet? I personally contacted the superintendents of police of Nagpur and Kolhapur, and they informed me that Koratkar’s mobile phone had been seized, yet the police are unable to locate him. Meanwhile, the government has appointed Solapurkar to Pune’s cultural committee,” Danve stated.
Congress leader Bhai Jagtap also criticised the double standards, emphasising that the same approach should be applied to both Azmi and those accused of disrespecting Shivaji Maharaj.
Responding to the opposition, Fadnavis asserted that his government would not tolerate any insult to Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He revealed that Solapurkar had secured anticipatory bail from the Kolhapur court and directed the police to move the Bombay High Court to cancel it.
Fadnavis then challenged the opposition: “Awhad claimed that Shivaji Maharaj existed because of Aurangzeb. Will you condemn that statement? Do you have the courage to criticise what Pandit Nehru wrote in The Discovery of India about Shivaji Maharaj?”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole accused the BJP of consistently disrespecting Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj. Speaking to the media outside the legislative building, Patole alleged that the BJP does not respect the Constitution and takes actions based on religious bias. He questioned why Fadnavis was focusing on historical events rather than addressing the present issues.
