india

Updated: Jan 13, 2020 14:13 IST

The Shiv Sena on Monday continued to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the book written by one of its functionaries comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Maratha warrior king Shivaji.

The book ‘Aaj ke Shivaji: Narendra Modi’ written by Jai Bhagwan Goyal, a former Sena worker, was released in the BJP’s headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday, stirring a political controversy as the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party also questioned the comparison.

The Sena’s senior leader Sanjay Raut, who had in a series of tweets on Sunday questioned the book and the BJP, on Monday attempted to corner the leaders of the opposition party in Maharashtra and asked if the comparison is acceptable to them.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said the BJP should ban the distribution of the book and should officially announce that it has no links to the book’s publication.

“I am confident that the BJP leaders in Maharashtra will also speak on this issue. They have always been quick to display their stand on issues of Savarkar. I am sure by today evening they will speak on the issue around Shivaji Maharaj as well,” Raut said.

He added that if they do not speak up, then they do not have the right to practice politics in Maharashtra.

Raut also said that the Prime Minister cannot be blamed for this as the issue could not have come to his notice before the book was released.

The Sena leader asked Udayanraje Bhosale and Shivendraraje Bhosale, the descendants of Shivaji, who are in the BJP, to resign over the issue.

He said that if the common people have taken a stand on the issue, it is important Shivaji’s descendants put out their stance in public.

“The descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who are occupying the seat of Satara and Kolhapur, are in the BJP. Some are MPs, some are MLAs and some are former MLAs. We asked them to take a stand on the comparison of Maharaj with political leaders. What’s wrong in that?” Raut asked.

“We common people are fighting for the respect of Chhatrapati Shivaji, and we will do so. But you are descendants of Shivaji Maharaj and the responsibility falls the most on you. You should have immediately resigned,” he said.

The Shiv Sena MP added that the book ws an insult to the Maratha warrior king and the people of Maharashtra.

Raut said that his stand on the issue is not wrong and added that Sena chief and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray too has backed him.