As Shah visits Raigad Fort, Sambhajiraje sidelined, ups ante for Waghya statue’s removal

The absence of Sambhajiraje, who heads the Raigad Development Authority, at the event raised eyebrows, with Congress criticising the state and central governments for using Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s name for political gains.

“Just imagine, Sambhajiraje, who heads the Raigad Development Authority, was missing from today’s event where the Home Minister had come to pay his respects. By all accounts, Sambhajiraje should have been present. The Home Minister should have discussed what all was happening at Raigad as part of the conservation efforts. But it seems he was not even invited by the government,” said Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe.

Londhe said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never discriminated against anyone. But this government is blatantly practising discrimination. Shivaji Maharaj was people’s king, he cared for everyone and took everyone along. But this government wants to divide the people and rule.”
A BJP spokeperson said, “The organiser of the event was a local committee. They had taken the decision regarding extending invitations to prominent people.”

When contacted, Sambhajiraje refused to say why he was not invited. A close associate of his said, “As head of Raigad Development Authority, he should have been been present. But no such courtesy was extended to him, neither from the government nor from the local organisers. Probably, because Sambhajiraje holds progressive views. He believes in uniting and taking people of all communities forward…”

Speaking about the controversy over the statue of “Waghya” dog, Sambhajiraje, who had first raised the demand for its removal last month, said, “I recently made the demand to remove the statue of the dog from the fort, and I am firm on it. I hoped that when the Home Minister visits the fort, he will realise the futility of having a statue close to the samadhi of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I was hoping that he will announce the removal of the statue.”

Sambhajiraje reiterated that there was no credible historical evidence that a dog was loyal to Shivaji Maharaj and jumped into his funeral pyre. “For decades, no one knew anything about the existence of the dog. It is a fake story spread after 1919. It was actually brought forward by Ram Ganesh Gadkari through his play, Rajsanyas, in 1919. It was his figment of imagination,” Sambhajiraje said.

He added that after this Marathi play was staged, the move to build the dog’s statue gained momentum, and it was installed without any “historical basis”.

“What is more shocking is that the statue of the so-called loyal dog is taller than the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This is absolutely ridiculous. The dog’s statue should have actually been removed a long time ago. At least now, it should be removed without wasting any more time,” he added.

Sambhajiraje said he was confident the statue would be removed as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced his intention to set up a committee for the purpose.

On Saturday, while speaking to reporters in Pune, Udayanraje also urged for the statue’s removal. He said, “How can a long-eared dog be considered Indian? This dog belonged to the British, and its statue should be demolished.”

The royal descendants however were in for disappointment as Shah did not make any mention of this issue. “It was disappointing that the Home Minister did not touch upon the topic,” said Sambhajiraje.

Amit Shah visited Raigad Fort and paid respects to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his 345th death anniversary on Saturday.

‘Bhushansinharaje had some misunderstanding’

Sambhajiraje said Bhushansinharaje Holkar, a descendant of Ahilyabai Holkar, a queen of the Indore dynasty, has also softened his stand on the matter. ”Earlier, Bhushansinharaje had opposed the demand to remove the statue. That was because of some misunderstanding. He thought I had given the deadline of May 31 to remove the statue of the dog. May 31 is the birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar. The state government had earlier set the May 31 deadline for removing encroachments from the forts. That is why I had asked to remove the statue by May 31,” he said.

After the controversy erupted last month, Bhushansinharaje, at a press conference in Pune, said, ”The Waghya dog issue has become an issue of emotion and self-respect for both groups. I will not talk about whether the Waghya dog existed during Shivaji Maharaj’s era. It will all depend on the historical evidence available. However, I feel that the controversy should not happen. The sentiments of the followers should not be hurt.”

State NCP president Sunil Tatkare said the decision regarding the invitations was taken by the Raigad Smarak Samiti and the government.