Shivaji Maharaj belongs to all, says Shiv Sena in swipe at BJP
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Sunday took a swipe at one-time ally BJP and said Chhatrapati Shivaji was not "confined to any caste or party" but belongs to all 11 crore people of Maharashtra.
The BJP had mounted a campaign seen by political observers as an effort to appropriate the legacy of the legendary warrior-king in a bid to upstage the Sena.
Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, writing in his weekly 'Rokhthok' column in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said, "Shivaji Maharaj is not confined to a caste or a party. He belongs to all 11 crore people of Maharashtra."
Taking a dig at the BJP's campaign centring on the founder of the Maratha Empire, Raut wrote, "The BJP has been campaigning that it is the only party blessed by Shivaji Maharaj. Despite that, BJP candidate Udayanraje Bhosale, lost the Satara Lok Sabha bypoll."
Udayanraje Bhosale, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, quit the NCP and joined the BJP, but was trounced by the Sharad Pawar-led party's Shriniwas Patil in the Lok Sabha bypoll held along with the October 21 Assembly elections.
It was the defeat of a person and not a legacy, the Sena article asserted.
"Shivaji Maharaj taught us that Maharashtra does not tolerate arrogance and hypocrisy. Whenever people take oath in the name of Shivaji Maharaj but do not keep promises, and start thinking of themselves as rulers of the state, then it is a sign of their downfall," Raut said.
Raut also pointed out that the BJP (the government led by it) did not even begin work on the Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea though its government in neighbouring Gujarat had completed that of Sardar Patel, the tallest such structure in the world.
Narendra Modi, as chief minister of Gujarat, laid the foundation stone of the Sardar Patel memorial in Narmada district there and it was completed before the end of his first five year term as prime minister, Raut said.
The BJP and Sena fought the October Assembly polls together and came up with 161 seats jointly in the 288-member House, but the latter's insistence on equal sharing of the chief ministerial tenure caused the saffron alliance to come apart.
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RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
