Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj-Tipu Sultan comparison row: BJP, Congress workers clash in Pune; 9 injured
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal had on Saturday equated Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan. In protest to this, the BJP organised a protest in Pune on Sunday during which the clash erupted.
A clash erupted between workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Maharashtra's Pune on Sunday over the latter's state unit chief Harshwardhan Sapkal's recent remarks equating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan, leaving at least nine people injured. Stone pelting was also reported during the incident, forcing the police to intervene.
According to Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) Ranjan Kumar Sharma, the injured include three workers of the Congress and two of the BJP. In addition, two police personnel and two journalists were also wounded. He further said that the police will register a case against both sides.
"A protest was held near the Congress Bhavan, which saw sloganeering from workers of BJP and Congress. Workers of both parties climbed onto walls and there was stone pelting from both sides. Cases are being registered against workers of both sides," Sharma told reporters.
Sapkal's controversial remarks
The controversy erupted on Saturday after Tipu Sultan's portrait surfaced in Malegaon Municipal Corporation deputy mayor Shan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed's office. To defend this, Sapkal equated Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, calling that the Mysuru ruler had followed the ideals of the Maratha king.
"The kind of bravery that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj possessed, and the concept of 'Swarajya' (self-rule) that he introduced... much later, following in that very tradition and taking inspiration from his ideals, Tipu Sultan waged war against the British," the Maharashtra Congress president said.
Blame-game between BJP, Congress
The BJP slammed the Congress over Sapkal's remark, with the party even filing a case against him. The saffron party said Sapkal insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with party's Pune unit chief Dhiraj Ghate blaming Congress for Saturday's violence. He said BJP workers were peacefully protesting outside Congress Bhawan in Pune, when grand old party's workers started pelting stones and hurling abuses at them.
"Harshwardhan Sapkal should resign for insulting our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj... Our Pune mayor participated in the movement and while she was leaving, the stone pelting started; Congress workers showcased Tipu Sultan's policy... They had already prepared for this agitation and stone pelting," he told news agency ANI.
However, the Congress blamed the BJP for Saturday's violence and accused it of polarising the issue. Congress leader Sachin Sawant even alleged that the BJP had earlier admired Tipu Sultan but is criticising him now to divide the society. "What should this hypocrisy be called? Tipu Sultan used to wear a ring bearing the name of Lord Ram," he said.