Pune: The political atmosphere in Maharashtra has heated up after Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal reportedly made a statement comparing Tipu Sultan to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A protest erupted in Pune on Sunday, and Sapkal tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) reacting to this. He said it's a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to misrepresent facts.
The political atmosphere in Maharashtra has heated up after Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal made a statement allegedly comparing Tipu Sultan to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Following Sapkal’s remarks, BJP workers have been protesting across the state. In line with this, BJP workers held a protest in Pune on Sunday in front of Congress Bhavan. A major clash broke out when BJP and Congress workers came face-to-face.
BJP workers staged a protest and shouted slogans outside the Pune Congress Bhavan. Congress has alleged that stones and bottles were pelted during this protest, causing significant damage to several vehicles. It is also reported that a Congress worker was left bloodied after being hit by a stone.
Following the incident, Harshwardhan Sapkal took to X (formerly Twitter) to launch a scathing attack on the BJP. He demanded, “The BJP goons in Pune marched upon the Congress office; immediate cases must be registered against these BJP rioters, and they must be arrested.”
“I had stated that Devendra Fadnavis wants to incite riots in the state by distorting my statements and misrepresenting the facts -- and we saw proof of that in Pune today. BJP goons in Pune marched on the Pune Congress office and, in the presence of the police, pelted stones and launched a life-threatening attack on women Congress workers and female journalists,” Sapkal said.
“We strongly condemn this hooliganism by the BJP. Pune Police must immediately register cases and arrest the BJP rioters along with Dheeraj Ghate and Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, who incited them,” he added.
Tensions increase in Pune
BJP workers held a protest in Pune today to condemn Harshwardhan Sapkal’s statement. However, intense tension arose when BJP and Congress workers confronted each other. BJP workers gathered outside the Pune Congress Bhavan and shouted loud slogans. It is alleged that the protest took a violent turn.
Congress claimed that stones and bottles were thrown, resulting in shattered car windows and heavy damage to vehicles. Information has also surfaced that a Congress worker was severely injured and bleeding due to stone-pelting. The confrontation between the two groups led to chaos and tension in Pune for some time.
Harshwardhan Sapkal had said on Saturday, “After Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Tipu Sultan belongs to the same lineage of bravery. Tipu Sultan had declared war against the British. Tipu Sultan was a valiant warrior and the son of the soil of India. He never entertained poisonous or communal thoughts. As a symbol of bravery, we should view Tipu Sultan on par with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”
