Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rajya Sabha member Udayanraje Bhosale on Tuesday demanded that the party take action against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi as it had done in Nupur Sharma’s case.
Mr. Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, participated in a protest march organised by Opposition parties in Pune against the recent statements by Mr. Koshyari and a few BJP leaders which were perceived as insulting Maharashtra’s icons.
Mr. Koshyari stirred controversy last month when he called Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, an “icon of olden times” at a public function.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi’s statement that Shivaji Maharaj had “apologised” to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb also evoked angry reactions in Maharashtra.
“The kind of disciplinary action that was taken against Nupur Sharma should now be taken against Mr. Koshyari and Mr. Trivedi. This is the feeling of most people in Maharashtra,” Bhosale told reporters in Pune.
Sharma was removed as BJP spokesperson after a controversy erupted over her remarks about Prophet Mohammad during a T.V. debate.