Sapkal Accuses BJP of Distorting Statement on Tipu Sultan, Creating Communal Divide

Amid a political row over his remarks about Tipu Sultan, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal Saturday accused the BJP of distorting his statement to give it a communal colour and incite unrest in the state. Speaking to reporters, Sapkal said his comments were in response to a media query about whether offices should display photographs of historical figures, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan, in the backdrop of what he described as politics being played in the name of great personalities. “I was asked how one should view demands that photographs of all great leaders be displayed in offices. I responded in that context. But my statement was twisted to manufacture a controversy,” Sapkal said. Alleging that the controversy was aimed at creating a Hindu-Muslim divide, he said, “The attempt is to give my remarks a communal angle and engineer unrest. What happened in Pune today reflects that pattern.” Without directly naming him, Sapkal targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his remarks. “Earlier, when I had criticised him, he said he did not even know who I was. Now he is reacting sharply to my name. Bringing caste and religion into every issue has been the BJP’s old formula,” he said. Reiterating his party’s stand on Shivaji Maharaj, Sapkal said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our deity, our pride, our identity. We do not need lessons from the BJP on Shivaji Maharaj. The inspiration of Hindavi Swarajya is foundational to our constitutional values. On the Tipu Sultan issue, Sapkal alleged inconsistency in the BJP’s position. “During recent municipal elections, BJP banners and posters carried Tipu Sultan’s photograph. If that was acceptable, then why object now?” he asked. He further claimed that in several local bodies, including in Amravati and Chandrapur, the BJP had entered into alliances with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). “If that is acceptable to them, on what basis are they targeting my statement?” he said. Sapkal also condemned the alleged attack on the Congress office in Pune, claiming that party workers, including women members and women journalists, were subjected to stone pelting. He demanded immediate action against those responsible. “Those who instigated and carried out the attack must be booked without delay. The law must take its course,” he said. He referred to past remarks on Shivaji Maharaj by Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, asking whether the BJP would protest in those instances as well. “Will they burn effigies in those cases?” he asked. Sapkal alleged that the controversy was being amplified to deflect attention from substantive issues at the national and state levels. There was no immediate detailed response from the BJP at the time of going to press.