Pune. There was heavy tension in Pune, Maharashtra on Sunday when BJP and Congress workers clashed outside the office of the opposition party. The root of the controversy is the comment of Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal, in which he compared Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The protest organized against this comment soon turned violent and there was heavy stone pelting from both sides. According to Joint Police Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma, two policemen, two media persons and three Congress and two BJP workers were slightly injured in the clash.
The controversy started when Harshvardhan Sapkal gave a statement amidst the protests against the installation of Tipu Sultan’s portrait in Malegaon Municipal Corporation. Referring to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s idea of ​​Swaraj and bravery, he claimed that Tipu Sultan’s call for war against the British was on the lines of Shivaji Maharaj’s ideals. The BJP termed this comparison as an insult to the sentiments of Hindus and the pride of the Maratha Empire. BJP’s Pune unit president Dheeraj Ghate lodged a complaint in this matter, on the basis of which an FIR has been registered against Sapkal.
On Sunday, when BJP workers reached Congress Bhawan to protest, the situation there went out of control. According to the police, workers of both the parties climbed the walls and started pelting stones while raising slogans against each other. Heavy police force was deployed to handle the situation, but despite this the confrontation could not be completely stopped. Congress’ Pune unit president Arvind Shinde has filed a written complaint with the police against Mayor Manjusha Nagpure and Dheeraj Ghate and others, accusing them of attacking BJP officials. Cases are being registered against both the parties at Shivajinagar Police Station.
Amidst this political turmoil, Congress state leader Sachin Sawant has accused BJP of adopting double standards and doing politics of polarization. Sawant claimed that the BJP itself had been praising Tipu Sultan in the past. Giving an example, he said that in 2012, BJP had proposed to name a hall after Tipu Sultan in Akola Municipal Corporation and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had also praised him by visiting his tomb. Sawant alleged that now as part of the election and polarization agenda, the BJP is presenting Tipu Sultan in a negative light.
Tipu Sultan has been a controversial figure in history, where one side considers him a brave warrior who fought against the British, while the other side accuses him of ill-treatment of Hindus in South India. In contrast, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj enjoys unanimous reverence and respect for his military genius and public-welfare administration. At present, the police has intervened and brought the situation under control in Pune, but the issue remains heated in the politics of the state.