Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal had said that CM Fadnavis is an “equally cruel ruler” like Aurangzeb was. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal’s remark comparing chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb sparked a massive uproar in the state council, with the ruling Mahayuti’s legislators demanding strict action against him.
The state legislative council witnessed chaos right after Mahayuti lawmakers raised the issue of Sapkal’s remarks. On Sunday, Sapkal had said at a press conference, “Aurangzeb was a cruel ruler. Today, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is an equally cruel ruler. He always supports issues related to religion but does nothing about cases like the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.”
BJP slams Sapkal’s remark
BJP leader Pravin Darekar, while raising this issue in the House, said that comparing the chief minister, who is governing the state in an efficient manner, to Aurangzeb is “highly condemnable” and an insult to Maharashtra. He demanded that a case be filed against Sapkal as well as strict action be taken to set an example for others. BJP MP Bhagwat Karad also termed Sapkal’s remarks against Fadnavis as “very wrong and condemnable”. He appreciated the Maharashtra CM for doing good in the state, saying that he has good experience and is working towards a “Viksit Maharashtra”. He called the comparison “childish”.
Additionally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Amol Mitkari also slammed the Maharashtra Congress chief for his statement. Meanwhile, opposition leader Ambadas Danve disapproved of such personal attacks but accused the BJP-led state government of having an “Aurangzeb-like mentality”. NCP(SP) leader Shashikant Shinde also voiced a similar view. His colleague Rohit Pawar as well, noted that comparing anyone to an individual like Aurangzeb “to some extent is not good”.
“Politically, we should fight against all opposition…maybe the state Congress president meant something else by what he said. He must have said it because of the way this government is working,” Pawar said. However, Congress leader Bhai Jagtap dismissed the allegations and claimed that Sapkal never made such a statement.
State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule assured the House that the government would seriously consider strict action against Sapkal for his “objectionable” remarks.
