KOLHAPUR: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday advised restraint among both ruling and opposition party members when asked about Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane's comments on Muslims not being part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army.
Pawar stated that historians who have conducted extensive research on Maratha history have shown that members of the Muslim community were indeed part of Shivaji Maharaj’s forces. He made these remarks in Karad on Wednesday after paying tribute to Maharashtra’s first Chief Minister, Yashwantrao Chavan, at his memorial on Chavan’s 112th birth anniversary.
When asked about Rane's comment, Pawar said, "Whether from the ruling or opposition side, leaders must refrain from making statements that could create a law-and-order situation. There are many Muslims in our country who are patriotic. Historians, after intensive research, have proven that Muslims were indeed part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army. Who was in charge of Shivaji Maharaj's ammunition department? He was a Muslim. Several such examples can be given. Why Rane made the statement and what his purpose was, I don't know. Muslims in India are patriotic."