Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS): Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday virtually warned senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale to refrain from using the threatening language of 'breaking limbs' as India is a democracy.
In a strong counter-attack on Bhosale - the 13th descendent of the great Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - Raut said: "We respect you, you must also reciprocate".
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is nobody's private propertya. All the 11 crore people of Maharashtra are his descendents. We will not tolerate the language of breaking peoples' limbs. We are living in a democracy," Raut said sharply.
He added that because you (Bhosale) are the descendents, we have respect for you. But, if anyone had spoken such words in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 'durbar' (court), he would have broken their limbs.
Raut's stinging response came to the raging controversy on a book "Aaj ke Shivaji - Narendra Modi", penned by a BJP activist, which was withdrawn with apologies after a massive furore erupted in the state earlier this week.
The Sena MP challenged the senior BJP leaders like Rajya Sabha MP and Kolhapur's Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Bhosale, Satara's ex-MP Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale and current Satara MLA Chhatrapati Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale to come out and oppose the book drawing comparisons between the great 17th century Maratha warrior-king and Modi.
However, the two Bhosale cousins of Satara pounced on Raut demanding to know his locus standi for questioning the BJP and accused the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party of resorting to "doublespeak" in the matter.
In November 2019, the Sena, NCP and Congress joined hands to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale questioned why the Shiv Sena was using 'Shivaji' name, and why the name of the MVA was changed from the original 'Maha Shiv Aghadi' allegedly under pressure from its two partners, and why NCP President Sharad Pawar was being called 'Janata Raja' (usually referring to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).