Fadnavis sharpens attack on Rahul Gandhi: 'Apologise for Nehru's insult of Shivaji'

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday attacked Rahul Gandhi, asking him to apologise for what he described as the "insult" of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Fadnavis said Nehru portrayed the Maratha king in a negative light in his book 'The Discovery of India'.

"Rahul Gandhi is in Kolhapur today to inaugurate a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He is remembering Shivaji Maharaj now, but he should first apologize for the insult of Shivaji Maharaj by Nehru in his book," he said. 

Earlier in the day, Gandhi unveiled a statue of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. This is the second time Fadnavis has made this accusation, initially raising the issue when Congress protested the collapse of a Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, a statue unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi eight months prior.

The Congress has, however, rejected the charge and accused Fadnavis of spreading a false narrative. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera countered, saying Nehru had revised his first edition of the book and sought input from historians in 1936. Khera noted that Nehru acknowledged the first edition had been written while he was in jail with limited access to reference materials.