Ahmedabad, 5 October 2014

If you recall year 2012 Gujarat assembly election campaign, you would notice that Narendra Modi went to people to seek votes mainly with the agenda of the works done by his government, and the works planned by his government if reelected to power. The campaign was not centered around factors like caste, class and community.

Now look at Sharad Pawar’s speech during ongoing Maharashtra assembly poll campaign.

On Sunday, 5 October, DNA newspaper reports: Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday attacked the BJP, saying that the people who had termed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a ‘looter’ are invoking the warrior king to seek votes. Addressing a rally to garner support for NCP nominee Chhagan Bhujbal in Yeola in Nasik district, Pawar questioned the change in the stance of the BJP. The veteran politician said that in the history books of the Gujarat government, Shivaji had been termed as a looter. He said Shivaji plundered the treasury of Surat when Maharashtra was in dire state and needed money for its fight for freedom from the Mughal rule. “He did it for a noble cause. But the irony is that in the history book of the Gujarati, Maharaj is called a ‘looter’. It is an insult and people should be careful before voting for such people,” said Pawar(click here for full report)

So even after, his years long rule in the state, Sharad Pawar, instead of speaking about works done by his government, seeks vote provoking people of Maharashtra against Gujarat! That too on the basis of lies!

Mr. Pawar must know that the city of Surat in Gujarat – which was plundered by Shivaji Maharaj according to him – has more than one statues of Shivaji Maharaj today.

It’s a fact that Gujarati community in Maharashtra was not allowed to construct Morarji Desai’s monument in Mumbai. Absolutely no complain about it.

But Pawar and others must know that Shivaji’s statues are standing tall in Surat and elsewhere in Gujarat, and receive heartily respect which is deserving.

In year 2012, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself came to Surat to unveil a statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Limbayat area. Shri Modi delivered speech on life and works of Shivaji for around twenty minutes. I wonder whether Mr. Pawar can deliver such an in-depth and insightful speech on Shivaji Maharaj for twenty minutes, especially when elections are not around!

In his Surat speech, Modi rubbished popular perception that Shivaji had looted Surat. Modi clarified Shivaji’s Surat chapter once and again at different places on different occasions(for an example, in January this year at Raigad(click here for report).

In his speech(Hindi) on Chhatrapati Shivaji delivered in year 2008 on the occasion of exhibition sponsored by Prafull Goradia in Mumbai, Modi said, he had read Chhatrapati Shivaji’s book when he was a child. Modi said he was a little child in those days and had to apply extra effort to even lift that heavy book translated by Vaman Mukadamji.( Click here for that speech). Mr. Pawar and others must note that there was no election around in February 2012 and May 2008, when Shri Modi delivered speeches on Shivaji.

Very few people know that Mr. Modi wanted to install Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in his assembly constituency area Maninagar. On his wish, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation gave order to sculpture for making of statue. However when statue was ready, a group of local prominent people, the AMC office bearers and even Mr. Modi found that quality of statue was poor and not matching to the stature of Shivaji Maharaj.

Then Mr. Pawar must know that number of shows of a grand theatrical biopic featuring Shivaji’s life and works ‘Janta Raja’ could be possible in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and other places only due to then Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s deep interest and solid patronage. Saffron organizations had worked very hard to ensure success of ‘Janta Raja’ at various places in Gujarat. Mr. Modi himself attended the show in Ahmedabad to give it a push.

In fact what BJP’s sister organizations have contributed to bring awareness about Shivaji Maharaj’s life and works in Gujarat is incomparable. Ahmedabad headquartered Sadhana publication which functions under patronage of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) has published children-friendly version of Shivaji’s biography which is available at concessional price for wider reach. Sadhna has circulated Shivaji’s biography to libraries, book fairs and schools across Gujarat. Tales of bravery and wisdom of Shivaji Maharaj are shared RSS shakhas. Pawar fame NCP, Congress and other parties out there just can’t imagine to do such work. They just can’t think beyond votes and vote bank. They are not ashamed of the fact that in the name of Shivaji Maharaj they have pushed thousands of farmers to suicide, they have practiced rampant corruption, they have harbored and promoted goons.

Shivaji’s popularity and respect among Gujarati people is beyond the range of Pawar and Rane’s dirty minds. A very popular traditional Gujarati ‘halardu’ song on Shivaji and his mother Jijabai is one of the examples(click here to listen to it on You Tube). Mothers in rural areas sing this ‘halardu’ song when a child is about to sleep. In fancy dress competitions across the schools in Gujarat, children always like to dress like Shivaji. As I said, such cultural embeddings are beyond the range of Pawar and Rane’s dirty minds.

One of the dirtiest and corrupt politicians, Pawar should speak only about the works done by his government and works planned by his government. He must not provoke sentiments against Gujarat by speaking lies! This cheap politics has to be stopped. Why selfish Sonia Bhakts of NCP and Congress were in mute mode when Bandra Worli sea link was named after some Rajiv Gandhi instead of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj? I bet, if it was Gujarat under Modi, it could happen for sure. That’s the reality.