Overview
- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, known as Bageshwar Baba, told a Nagpur audience on Friday that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj felt worn down by war and placed his crown before saint Samarth Ramdas.
- Criticism from historians, descendants, and opposition leaders followed on Saturday, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying there is no evidence for the claim in documented history.
- Under pressure on Sunday, Shastri said he was extremely sorry and argued his words were twisted online, adding that he meant to highlight Shivaji Maharaj’s devotion to saints and Goddess Tuljabhavani.
- Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who plays the Maratha king in the May 1 film Raja Shivaji, called the statement distorted nonsense, which drew wider public attention to the row ahead of the biopic’s release.
- Calls for legal action and even a ban on Shastri’s events in the state continue, and opposition leaders are questioning why those on stage, including Fadnavis, Nitin Gadkari and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, did not object at the time; Shastri’s separate call for Hindu families to have four children and give one to the RSS has also drawn scrutiny.