MUMBAI: A morphed video clip from recently released Bollywood film Tanhaji that shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Home Minister Amit Shah as Shivaji’s satrap Tanaji Malusare has revived the controversy over insult of the great Maratha warrior king.
The clip shows Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as Udaybhan Singh Rathore and appears to be made in Delhi Assembly campaign. However, the clip has led to fresh controversy in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut saying that such insult to Shivaji Maharaj won’t be tolerated.
“I saw the clip where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and subedar Tanhaji are being used for political purposes. Faces of political leaders are morphed on Chhatrapati Shivaji and Tanhaji and are being circulated for an election campaign. Shivaji Maharaj is our idol and we will not tolerate his insult,” Raut said here on Tuesday.
“I’ve sent this clip to all the leaders who were accusing me of insulting Chhatrapati a few days back and I’m awaiting their reactions,” Raut added while referring to the controversy last week when he had questioned former Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale’s heredity who is a 13th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Raut did so while criticizing the book ‘Aaj ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi’ written by Jai Bhagwan Goyal, a former Delhi Shiv Sena leader. The book was released in the BJP’s headquarters in New Delhi earlier this month. It stirred a political controversy as the Shiv Sena slammed the BJP over the book and the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party also questioned the comparison.
Just as the BJP had tried to dissociate itself with the book back then, it dissociated itself with the video clip gone viral on social media today.
“The video clip was circulated from twitter handle ‘Political Kida’. It is not BJP’s official video. It has not been circulated from BJP’s handle and it hasn’t been used in the campaign either,” BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam said.
Kadam also added that the BJP won’t ever justify comparing Shivaji Maharaj to anybody. However, it appears that Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut needs such issues not-related to the BJP to save face after statements made by the likes of Ashok Chavan.