Shivaji-Tipu remark row: BJP protests in Pune; Congress accuses saffron party of double standards
Mumbai/Pune (PTI): BJP workers confronted Congress activists in Pune while protesting against Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal's remarks 'equating' Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan, with the Opposition party alleging stone pelting during the agitation on Sunday.
There was a heavy police deployment in the area as BJP workers protested outside the Congress Bhavan, condemning Sapkal's comments that have triggered a row in the state.
A controversy erupted on Saturday over a portrait of Tipu Sultan in the office of Malegaon Municipal Corporation deputy mayor Shan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed, which was opposed by Shiv Sena corporators and Hindu outfits.
While pointing to the valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the way he presented the idea of 'Swarajya', Sapkal gave the example of Tipu Sultan's call for battle against the British and claimed this was an ideal articulated on the same lines.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Congress leader Sachin Sawant accused the BJP of "double standards" and pursuing a polarisation agenda after Sapkal faced criticism for the remark.
In a statement, the Congress spokesperson cited several instances to claim that BJP leaders had earlier supported or endorsed references to 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan in public spaces and official forums.
He referred to resolutions in civic bodies in Akola and Mumbai, as well as past instances where BJP leaders had allegedly praised or associated with the historical figure, to argue that the party's current opposition was politically motivated.
BJP workers staged a protest in Pune, condemning Sapkal's remarks.
Congress has alleged that two of its workers sustained injuries as activists from the saffron party indulged in stone pelting outside the Congress Bhavan.
Speaking to PTI, Mohan Joshi, vice-president of the Congress's Maharashtra unit, said that a large number of BJP workers, including the newly elected mayor, Manjusha Nagpure, gathered to protest outside Congress Bhavan.
"During the protest, stones were pelted at Congress workers and two sustained injuries. We are currently holding a sit-in protest outside the police station in Shivajinagar seeking action," he said.
Krishikesh Rawale, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1), said that the police intervened to prevent a flare-up.
BJP Pune city unit president Dheeraj Ghate has lodged a complaint against Sapkal with Parvati police station for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Hindus, and a first information report has been registered.
Tipu Sultan remains a polarising figure of history, with some invoking his bravery in the battles against the British, while others have pointed to his religious bigotry and ill-treatment of non-Muslims.
Sawant, in his statement, has claimed that the BJP earlier admired Tipu Sultan, but now calls him bad for its polarisation agenda.
"What should this hypocrisy be called? Tipu Sultan used to wear a ring bearing the name of Lord Ram," he alleged.
The Congress leader said that the BJP was portraying Tipu Sultan negatively as part of a strategy to create religious divisions.
He also accused the ruling party of engaging in "distorted religious politics" and attempting to polarise voters, while reiterating the party's criticism of the BJP's stand on the issue.
Further accusing the BJP of "double standards", Sawant cited that in 2012, the saffron party moved a resolution in the Akola Municipal Corporation to name the standing committee hall 'Shaheed-e-Watan Sher-e-Mysore Tipu Sultan', proposed by former mayor and current BJP Akola election in-charge Vijay Agrawal.
In 2013, BJP corporators supported a proposal to name a road in Mumbai's M-East ward as 'Shaheed Tipu Sultan Marg', and even current city Mayor Ritu Tawde's name figures among those present, he stated.
In 2001, a road in Andheri (West) was named 'Sher-e-Mysore Tipu Sultan Marg' in the presence of former BJP MP Gopal Shetty and party corporators, with the resolution passed unanimously, Sawant said.
BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa visited Tipu Sultan's tomb and wrote words of praise in the visitors' book, he claimed.
In 2017, even the then-President Ram Nath Kovind praised Tipu Sultan in the Karnataka assembly, the Congress leader added.
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Lebanon PM accuses Israel of ‘war crime’ after rescue workers killed in strikes
Beirut: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday accused Israel of committing a “war crime” after five people, including three civil defence personnel, were killed in twin air strikes in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, the strikes targeted a building in the town of Majdal Zoun, where rescue workers had arrived following an initial attack. A second strike hit the same location, killing those involved in relief operations.
Salam said targeting emergency responders carrying out humanitarian duties amounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian law. He added that the government would raise the matter at international forums and seek action to halt such incidents.
A spokesperson for the Lebanese Civil Defence was quoted by AL Jazeera that the rescuers were trapped under debris after the second strike and later confirmed dead.
The Lebanese army said two of its personnel were also injured in the attack, which reportedly struck a military patrol escorting the rescue team along with civilian equipment.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun also condemned the incident, stating that it was part of a pattern of attacks affecting relief workers and civilians.
Despite a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, cross-border hostilities have continued, with frequent air strikes reported in southern and eastern parts of the country.
Lebanese authorities said at least eight people were killed in separate incidents on Tuesday, while the overall toll from Israeli strikes since early March has crossed 2,500, with thousands injured.
