Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS): Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the revered idol of Maharashtra and cannot be 'compared' with anyone, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said here on Monday, demanding a ban on "Aaj Ke Shivaji - Narendra Modi" which was released on Sunday, triggering a huge controversy in the state.

"The BJP must recall the book immediately and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should personally intervene and ensure the book is banned," Raut told mediapersons here.

The book, by a BJP activist, has been slammed by the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance, plus All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale, political activists and intellectuals as it allegedly seeks to draw comparisons between the great Maratha hero and the Prime Minister.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our national hero, Prime Minister modi is the respected leader of the country... The Chhatrapati's descendents of the Kolhapur and Satara dynasties must take serious note of this," Raut urged.