Maharashtra: BJP MLC claims Shivaji Maharaj was born in Konkan, Oppn slams him
Mumbai, Dec 4: Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad has stoked a controversy by claiming Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in the Konkan region, prompting Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to ask if the BJP had set up a new council for historical research.
It is a known fact that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born at Shivneri in Pune district (of western Maharashtra) and died at Raigad in the Konkan region of the state, Raut told reporters.
Facing over flak over his comments, Lad in a video message posted on his Twitter handle on Sunday said, "I offer my apology if I have hurt anyone's sentiments."
Konkan was the "karma bhoomi" of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he tweeted.
One cannot forget that the seeds of 'swarajya' were sown in Konkan, Lad said.
"I spoke something else unintentionally and I rectified the mistake immediately," the BJP legislator said.
In the video message, Lad also criticised the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for "politicising" the issue.
The NCP had tweeted a video of Lad addressing a press conference on the 'Konkan Mahotsav' where he made the comment on the birth place of the 17th century Maratha warrior king, a revered figure in Maharashtra.
The Sharad Pawar-led party said the BJP should teach history to its own legislators instead of preaching about it to others.
Asked about Lad's remarks, Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut wondered if the BJP wanted to rewrite history and had set up a new council for historical research.
"It is a known fact Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in Shivneri in Pune district and died at Raigad in Konkan," Raut said.
"The chief minister (Eknath Shinde) has set up a NITI Aayog-like panel in Maharashtra and appointed his builder friend to head it," he said.
Last month, there was a political slugfest in Maharashtra after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an icon of "olden days", a remark dubbed as an "insult" to the Maratha king.
State Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha had also faced criticism for his recent remarks on Shivaji Maharaj.
Raut had on Friday also criticised the BJP for maintaining "silence" over alleged objectionable remarks made against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by some public figures and said these "insults" to the Maratha warrior king will be avenged.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole had on Thursday accused the BJP of "insulting" the Maratha warrior king and demanded the resignation of the saffron party's MLAs and MPs.
छत्रपती शिवराय हे संपूर्ण विश्वाचे आराध्य दैवत आहेत. महाराजांची कर्मभूमी कोकण होती, स्वराज्याची मुहूर्तमेढ कोकणात रोवली गेली हे देखील विसरून चालणार नाही, अनावधानाने माझ्याकडून दुसरा शब्द प्रयोग झाला. परंतु त्वरित चूक दुरुस्त केली. pic.twitter.com/Nyps1jqs7U
— Prasad Lad (@PrasadLadInd) December 4, 2022
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38.23% voter turnout during the first half of the day in 14 LS segments in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): An estimated 38.23 per cent turnout was reported during the first half of the day in Karnataka, where the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 of 28 constituencies is underway on Friday.
According to election officials, 38.23 per cent of the electorate in Karnataka had cast their vote till 1 PM. Voting began at 7.00 am and will end by 6.00 pm.
Out of 14 segments that are going to the polls today, the highest turnout of 48.10 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 46.43 per cent, and the least 30.10 per cent in Bangalore Central.
The turnout was 31.51 per cent in Bangalore South, and 32.25 per cent in Bangalore North.
In the first phase, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Besides those three, the segments where elections are being held on Friday are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkaballapur.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and in power in the state back then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya.
On Friday, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar along with his family cast his vote at Doddalahalli in Kanakapura of Ramanagara district. Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh also cast her vote.
Cricketing legend Anil Kumble, Ayodhya Ram Mandir's Ram lalla sculptor Arun Yogiraj and former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde were among prominent persons who cast their votes during the day, along with IT industry veterans Kris Gopalakrishnan and Mohandas Pai.
Biotechnology veteran Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, after casting her vote, in a post on social media platform X said, "As a responsible citizen of our great country, I have cast my vote. Jai hind"
Film stars Upendra, Shivarajkumar and Sudeep too exercised their franchise during the first half of the day.
