Vikhe Patil pulls up Gaikwad, says use of abusive language is insult to Shivaji Maharaj

Strongly disapproving of Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwads rant about Govind Pansares book, senior Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Tuesday said the use of abusive language amounted to insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The MLA purportedly used abusive language and threatened to assault the publisher during the conversation, an audio clip of which went viral.

Strongly disapproving of Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad's rant about Govind Pansare's book, senior Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Tuesday said the use of abusive language amounted to insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The MLA should not make ''delusional statements'' which bring disrepute to the government as well as his party, the BJP leader said. Gaikwad, whose party is a constituent of the ruling BJP-led coalition, is at the centre of a controversy over his offensive conversation over phone about late communist leader Pansare's book ''Shivaji Kon Hota?'' (Who was Shivaji?). ''When Comrade Pansare was murdered (in 2015), we had gone to Kolhapur and demanded that the assailants be arrested. Gaikwad needs to understand Pansare's stance. By using abusive language, one insults Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,'' Vikhe Patil told reporters. Gaikwad last week called the book's publisher Prashant Ambi and accused him of disrespecting Shivaji Maharaj as the book's title refers to the iconic 17th century ruler in the singular form instead of the honorific plural. The MLA purportedly used abusive language and threatened to assault the publisher during the conversation, an audio clip of which went viral. Gaikwad later claimed that it was a doctored audio clip. The controversial MLA had in the past allegedly assaulted a canteen staff at the MLA Hostel in Mumbai over the quality of food, drawing criticism. Pansare's book, published decades ago and reprinted many times, presents Shivaji Maharaj as a ruler who did not discrimate on the basis of religion.