Pune: Ajit Pawar's remark came before PM Modi's public address.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said some people holding high posts were making unnecessary comments and this was not acceptable to the people of the state.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar made the comments, apparently aimed at Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, at Pune's MIT College ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the governor were present during the inauguration of various development projects.
Notably, some leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) in Maharashtra as well as the BJP recently objected to Governor Koshyari's remark that Samarth Ramdas was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
On Sunday, before PM Modi's public address, Mr Pawar said, "I want to bring one thing to the prime minister's notice. Of late, some people holding important positions are making unnecessary comments which are not acceptable to Maharashtra and its citizens."
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Rajmata Jijau formed Swarajya. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule (both social reformers from Maharashtra) laid the foundation for women's education. We need to carry forward their legacy without holding grudges against anyone and without bringing politics into the development works," the NCP leader said.
Mr Koshyari, during a programme in Aurangabad last Sunday, underlined the role of the guru (teacher) while citing the examples of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chandragupta Maurya.
"Many chakravartis (emperors), maharajas took birth on this land. But, who would have asked about Chandragupta had there not been Chanakya? Who would have asked about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had there not been Samarth (Ramdas)," he said.
"I am not questioning the calibre of Chandragupta and Shivaji Maharaj. Like a mother who plays a key role in shaping her child, similarly, the role of guru (teacher) has a big place in our society," the governor had said.
In the past, the MVA government and Mr Koshyari have been engaged in a war of words over various issues.
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