The Sangli shutdown was not directed against the Shiv Sena or Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, said Sambhaji Bhide, the octogenarian radical Hindutva leader, on Friday.
Mr. Bhide urged the Chief Minister to remove Sena MP Sanjay Raut from his post of spokesperson for his remarks against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and ex-Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Sangli city observed a complete shutdown as members of Mr. Bhide’s outfit, the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, along with BJP activists and supporters of Mr. Bhosale demonstrated against Mr. Raut and Nationalist Congress Party leader and State Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad.
Earlier, at an event, Mr. Raut had demanded ‘proof’ of whether Mr. Bhosale was indeed a descendant of the 17th century Maratha ruler. His remarks triggered a controversy, with Mr. Bhosale’s supporters as well as pro-Maratha outfits criticising the Sena leader.
“We cannot bear this insult to Udayanraje, who is a representative of the Chhatrapati’s dynasty… Our shutdown is not against any political party or the Shiv Sena, but against Sanjay Raut. In fact, it is my ardent wish that the Sena, built on the ideals of King Shivaji, expands its base and establishes its presence throughout the country,” said the Hindutva leader, while demanding that the Chief Minister expel Mr. Raut from his parliamentary post for defaming Udayanraje.
“I strongly urge Uddhav Thackeray to remove such persons [Mr. Raut] from their posts. His comments are poisoning the political clime,” he said.
Mr. Bhide also hit out at the booklet Aaj ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi authored by BJP leader Jai Bhagwan Goyal, remarking that there was no need for Mr. Goyal to compare the Prime Minister with Shivaji.
Prior to the shutdown, Mr. Bhide, whose name was linked to the Bhima-Koregaon clashes of January 1, 2018, urged his followers not to indulge in any form of violence or stone-pelting and peacefully observe the shutdown.
An activist from Mr. Bhide’s outfit said, “Udayanraje is the soul of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan. We cannot tolerate such insults against him … While political slanging matches may be fine, Sanjay Raut’s remarks are in bad taste … We are planning to register our grievance with Mr. Thackeray in the coming days.”
The outfit’s members have warned that if Mr. Raut did not publicly recant his statement and apologise, the agitation would intensify across Maharashtra.
The bandh cast a shadow onMr. Thackeray’s visit to Sangli later in the evening despite activists of Mr. Bhide’s outfit stressing that the shutdown was not aimed at disrupting the CM’s tour.
Meanwhile, Baramati MP Supriya Sule criticised the Sangli shutdown, calling it a political conspiracy. “It is wrong to call for a shutdown on the eve of the Chief Minister’s visit … It appears to be a political conspiracy against the government,” said Ms. Sule.
Mr. Bhide’s affinity with Mr. Bhosale, the 13th direct descendant of Shivaji, is well known. Mr. Bhosale had defended the Hindutva leader when he was alleged to have orchestrated the violence between two social groups on the bicentenary anniversary celebration of the 1818 battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 2018.
