Nagpur: Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham on Sunday issued a public apology for his comments about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which had sparked widespread protests across Maharashtra. Shastri claimed that his 'sentiments' were misinterpreted.
Speaking to the media in Nagpur at the venue of his religious discourse program, Shastri stated that his remarks about Shivaji and Saint Samartha Ramdas Swami, made during an event on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, were intended as reverence and not to demean the great warrior king.
Many historians and politicians had criticized Shastri's claim that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj approached Ramdas Swami to handle the administration of his empire, calling it baseless. Shastri said, 'I presented my sentiments with a lot of respect for the great Hindu king, the one who envisioned a Hindu Rashtra. I spoke about it in my style, but it was misunderstood.'
Shastri emphasized that he could never dream of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 'It is from him that I took the inspiration for the vision of a Hindu Rashtra. He is the greatest king that our country had. Hence, if anyone's sentiments were hurt due to my statements, I offer my apology,' he said. Moments later, Shastri moved from the media room to the grand stage, which had a large cutout of Shivaji Maharaj in the background, to begin his religious discourse.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar told the media in Nagpur that Shastri was a 'fraud' who masqueraded as a godman. The city also witnessed protests by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sambhaji Brigade condemning Shastri. Wadettiwar said, 'Who is he (Shastri) to speak about Shivaji Maharaj? Does he have any intelligence or not? He is not a baba, but a bhondu baba (fraud godman). Such frauds are encouraged by the BJP because their party believes in superstitions.'
He urged people everywhere to call out Shastri for his statements. 'People must challenge him. We will reward those who do it,' said Wadettiwar. Shastri's apology may have likely prevented an increase in the number and intensity of protests, specifically in Nagpur where he is scheduled to stay for a couple of days.
