MUMBAI: Pro-Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide alias Manohar Bhide stoked another controversy on Monday after stating that Hindus must stop going to Saibaba temple, he is not a Hindu god.
Bhide said that Hindus revere Sai Baba but they should check whether he really deserves it. “Hindus, first of all, should remove Sai Baba’s photos and idols from their homes and throw them away. I am not a mental person. I am saying this with responsibility. Sai Baba should not be treated as God at all,” Bhide claimed.
Oppositions have protested against Bhide for his serious remarks against Mahatma Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, and recently, against Sai Baba. The Congress, both the factions of NCP protested on Monday. Ajit Pawar factions NCP conducted a silent protest at the Gandhi statue near Mantralaya in Mumbai.
Earlier, Bhide passed remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, claiming his father was Muslim and that he has historical evidence for it too. Maharashtra home minister Devendra Fadnavis said they will not tolerate any derogatory comments against national icons.