‘Bhondu baba’: Congress hits out at Dhirendra Shastri over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj remarks

NAGPUR: Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham on Sunday tendered a public apology for his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which had sparked protests across the state, claiming that his ‘sentiments' were misinterpreted.Speaking to the media in Nagpur at the venue of his religious discourse programme, Shastri said his comments about Shivaji and Saint Samartha Ramdas Swami, during an event on Friday in presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, were made in reverence, not to demean the great warrior king.Many historians and politicians said Shastri's claim that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj approached Ramdas Swami to handle administration of his empire is baseless."I presented my sentiments with a lot of respect for the great Hindu king, the one who envisioned a Hindu Rashtra. I spoke about it in my style, but it was misunderstood," said Shastri.Shastri stressed he can never dream of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "It is from him that I took the inspiration for the vision of a Hindu Rashtra. He is the greatest king that our country had. Hence, if anyone's sentiments were hurt due to my statements, I offer my apology," said Shashtri.Moments later, Shastri moved from the media room to the grand stage, which had a large cutout of Shivaji Maharaj in the background, to start his religious discourse.Earlier in the day, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar told media in Nagpur that Shastri was a "fraud" who masqueraded as a godman. The city also witnessed protests by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sambhaji Brigade condemning Shastri."Who is he (Shastri) to speak about Shivaji Maharaj? Does he have any intelligence or not? He is not a baba, but a bhondu baba (fraud godman). Such frauds are encouraged by the BJP because their party believes in superstitions," said Wadettiwar.He said people everywhere must ensure that Shastri is called out for his statements. "People must challenge him. We will reward those who do it," said Wadettiwar.Shastri's apology may have likely stopped an increase in the number and intensity of protests, specifically in Nagpur where he is scheduled to stay for a couple of days.