CM says invaders can’t be heroes, slams comparison of Tipu and Shivaji Maharaj

CM Fadnavis clarified that the primary objection was not whether Tipu Sultan was a “good or bad” ruler, but the attempt to equate him with the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“Our objection is to the claim that Tipu Sultan was as great a king as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. For years, history was manipulated to teach us that Tipu Sultan was a great king, while conveniently omitting that he was responsible for the massacre of 75,000 Hindus and 33,000 Nayars,” he stated. He further argued that Tipu Sultan’s fight against the British was a matter of self-preservation to save his own kingdom, rather than a struggle for national liberation.

CM Fadnavis highlighted a significant shift in the educational narrative under the current central government. He pointed out the disparity in previous textbooks between the past and current curriculum. “In the past curriculum, Mughal history was allotted 17 pages, while the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was relegated to a single paragraph while in the current curriculum under the Modi government, the history of the Marathas and Shivaji Maharaj has been expanded to 20 pages in NCERT books,” he said.

Later, Fadnavis slammed the Opposition of being “confused and puzzled” and asserted that his government’s Viksit Maharashtra document outlines the roadmap and vision to make the state a one trillion dollar economy.

On criticism of signing MoUs with Indian companies at Word Economic Forum in Davos, the Chief Minister said he has represented the state there, because if one has to be relevant in the economic world, presence at Davos is necessary.

Fadnavis said 98 per cent and 80 per cent of the MoUs signed in 2022 and 2023, respectively, were in the implementation stage.

Similarly, 70 per cent of the MoUs in 2024 were being implemented and 88 per cent of the MoUs signed in 2025 are in implementation, he said.

According to the CM, 35 per cent of the MoUs signed in the country are converted to investment but in Maharashtra the ratio has been 55 per cent. “More than 75 per cent of the Davos MoUs have been converted to investment,” he told the House.

He claimed that  unemployment rate in the state has dipped from four percent in 2021-22 to 3.1 per cent in 2025. He said 1,20,449 job appointment letters have been given by the state government in vacant government posts.

He said Rs 15,472 crore financial assistance has been given to farmers in distress and the loan waiver will be done at an appropriate time. ”We are creating a digital record of agriculturists to ensure only the needy gets loan waiver,” he said.