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Patil’s remarks soon drew criticism in Maharashtra, where Shivaji Maharaj is revered as a Maratha ruler from the Bhonsle clan.
BJP leader and Union minister CR Patil (File Photo)
Union minister CR Patil sparked a massive controversy after he said that 17th-century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj belonged to the Patidar caste. The remarks of the BJP leader triggered sharp reactions from opposition parties in Maharashtra.
The remarks were made during a public event, when Patil, a Member of Parliament from Gujarat, while praising the Patidar community, a prominent agrarian group in Gujarat, said that Shivaji Maharaj was a Patidar.
“If anyone deserves the credit for bringing the entire country together, it is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He was a Patidar. If there is anyone who ensures that no one stays hungry in such a prestigious community or village, it is the Patidar community; that is what it means to be a Patidar. I am happy to say that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also a Patidar,” the Union minister said.
Patil’s remarks soon drew criticism in Maharashtra, where Shivaji Maharaj is revered as a Maratha ruler from the Bhonsle clan.
Opposition Attacks
Hitting out at the BJP leader over his remarks on Shivaji, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut termed the statement an insult to the state and the Marathi community.
“This is a massive insult to Maharashtra and the Marathi people. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the deity of Maharashtra. BJP has earlier tried to claim the legacy of many great icons and failed. Now they are trying to take Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to Gujarat,” Raut said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, an ally of BJP, also rejected Patil’s claim and asserted that Shivaji Maharaj belonged to the Bhonsle dynasty.
“Everyone knows about Shivaji Maharaj and his genealogy. I have not heard what CR Patil said, but I am very much aware of Maharaj, his relation with the Bhonsle dynasty and the princely state of Satara,” Pawar said.
BJP Distances Itself
Meanwhile, the BJP has distanced itself from the controversy. State revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said he was unaware of the Union minister’s statement.
“I do not know the reference of his statement. Everyone in the world, in India, and in Maharashtra, knows the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He lives in the heart of every person,” Bawankule said.
Gujarat, India, India
January 07, 2026, 08:27 IST
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