Days after the uproar over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Jiretop on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's head, now the controversy has erupted over the same headgear worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NCP leader Praful Patel honoured PM Modi by making him wear the headgear in Varanasi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination in Varanasi on Tuesday, an event attended by several NDA leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers, in a show of strength as he seeks a third term from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.
Sporting a white kurta-pajama and a blue sadri, Modi reached the district collectorate after a busy morning, which included an aarti on the banks of the Ganga at the Dashashwamedh ghat and prayers at the city's Kaal Bhairav temple.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP leader Praful Patel, and others were present at the collectorate.
The video of Patel putting headgear on PM Modi's head went viral on social media, causing a massive uproar.
Reacting to the incident, the NCP (SP) said, "A person is honoured by being handed over a jiretop, but Praful Patel of the Ajit Pawar faction made PM wear the jiretop, which is the identity of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the deity of Maharashtra."
"The Mahayuti has become so helpless in front of the throne of Delhi that the image of Maharashtra is being tarnished by these leaders. The self-respecting people of Maharashtra will not rest until they teach a lesson to this grand coalition, the BJP, which is insulting the Maharaj," the party added.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party's spokesperson Mukund Kirdat also said that the action of Patel insulted Maharaj and it is not a normal headgear which can be worn by anyone.
It should be noted that the headgear was titled as the crown of Shivaji Maharaj and offered to the dignitaries as a mode of honouring them.
