Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has landed in a controversy following his statement on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with the Nationalist Congress Party and Maratha outfits accusing him of twisting history.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was trained by Samarth Ramdas Swami and Dadoji Kondadev in sports activities which made him (Shivaji Maharaj) a national hero,” he had said. Mr. Singh’s remarks came in Pune on Friday during his visit to defence establishments, like the Army Sports Institute, to felicitate armed force personnel who participated in the Tokyo Olympics, including Subedaar Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold medal in javelin throw.
Sambhaji Brigade, a youth organisation working against the saffronisation of Shivaji Maharaj’s life, has condemned the statement and demanded an apology. “His statement is an attempt to glorify wrong history. Shivaji Maharaj never met Samarth Ramdas in his life. The High Court has said this too. RSS historians have never claimed that Ramdas trained the king in sports,” said Santosh Shinde, regional co-ordinator of the outfit.
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Mr. Shinde said Kondadev was never the guru of Shivaji Maharaj and this was a lie spread by RSS historians. “We condemn Rajnath Singh for spreading the lie and he must apologise,” he said. Both Kondadev and Ramdas, belonging to Brahmin community, had been portrayed by earlier historians as gurus of Chhatrapati Shivaji. A number of bahujan historians in recent times have contested this claim with evidences negating the earlier findings.
NCP Lok Sabha MP Dr. Amol Kolhe said the statement was based on false information and without proof. He said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj grew to become a national hero because of the welfare state he created for the people and the moral support the Swarajya had gained.”
Mr. Kolhe, who has portrayed Shivaji Maharaj in a Marathi television series, said Dadoji Kondadev was initially not in agreement with the formation of Swarajya (self government). “Historical papers show that he (Dadoji) feared that the efforts to build Swarajya may harm Shahaji Maharaj in the courtroom of Aadilshah. Also, there are a few papers which show that the first meeting between Chhatrapati Shivaji and Samarth Ramdas took place in 1671, much later after the Swarajya was formed,” he said.
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