Sambhaji played role in defending state, that is what all should pay attention to: Pawar

Mumbai: Ajit Pawar’s remarks on Sambhaji Maharaj have received flak from various sections. With the ruling coalition and even the erstwhile Kolhapur royals also objecting to the comments, NCP leader Sharad Pawar jumped into the fray on Tuesday and said that people can call the icons with whatever names they want. “Those who want to address him like ‘Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’, they should say so. Those who want to call him Dharmaveer, they should address him as such. People who think that he protected Swarajya, should call him ‘swarajya rakshak’. But I am worried that when I go to Thane, the names of some leaders appear as Dharmaveer. A one-time associate of Eknath Shinde, who is now the Chief Minister of the state, he was also called Dharmaveer. He is also mentioned as a religious hero in some advertisements. When a person has some selfinterest, then he or she mentions such names,” he said. Pawar further said, “After Shivaji’s death, when swarajya was being attacked, Sambhaji played an important role in defending the state. This is what everyone should pay attention to. So there is no reason to debate.” When questioned about Jitendra Awhad’s comment on Aurangzebr, Pawar said that he did not hear his statement. “I saw Ajit Pawar’s statement on TV, so I am reacting to it. Now it is not appropriate for me to react to every MLA’s speech,” Pawar said.