Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar criticized Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on Thursday over controversial comments concerning the iconic Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Pawar, a key opposition politician in the state, slammed the governor and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the matter.
"The governor has crossed all limits. The president and the prime minister should intervene in this matter. It is wrong to give big posts to people who make irresponsible statements," Pawar told reporters in a press conference in Mumbai.
The governor's statement not only riled opposition parties but has been criticized by both the ruling alliance partners -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena.
BJP's top Maharashtra politician and key federal Minister Nitin Gadkari has already clarified that the entire BJP views Chhatrapati Shivaji as their God.
"Shivaji Maharaj is our God... We revere him even more than our parents," Gadkari said.
Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, fought against Mughal rule in India in the 17th century. He is widely regarded as a Hindu hero and has the status of a demigod, particularly in Maharashtra.
In another development, BJP parliamentarian and Shivaji descendant, Udayanraje Bhonsle, has requested President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi to remove the governor from office.
"The statements made by the governor are very contradictory to the beliefs of the nation. It would only be appropriate if you could take measures to remove Governor of Maharashtra,” he said.
“Your actions and deliberations in resolving this current standoff would go miles in restoring the confidence of the people of Maharashtra," Bhonsle stated in a letter.