As the insult controversy continued for the second day, senior Kolhapur Congress leader ML Satej D. Patil alias Bunty criticized Mandlik for his statements and demanded an apology.
An angry Patil said, "He has insulted the descendants of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with such comments. He should apologize to the people of Kolhapur, Maharashtra and Chhatrapati's family members."
Unperturbed by the growing controversy, Mandlik denied any disrespect or allegations against Chhatrapati Srimant Shahu Maharaj.
Mandlik demanded, “What I meant to say was that this Chhatrapati is not from Kolhapur, he was adopted and he is an outsider… We respect Chhatrapati very much.Why should we apologise?"
Patil hit back asking, "Who has given the 'script' to Mandalik to read" and why after six decades he suddenly remembered Chhatrapati's royal lineage.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the people of Maharashtra will "neither forgive nor forget" the insult inflicted by Mandlik on Chhatrapati, who is a respected personality and the 12th direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar said that "Chhatrapati and his family have been accepted by the entire world", so it is not appropriate to comment on anyone's remarks against him.
Mandlik, who is hoping for a re-term in the Lok Sabha, raised the issue of Chhatrapati's distinguished lineage at an election rally on Thursday and claimed that Chhatrapati was actually "an adopted king".Mandlik questioned whether the Maharaja (Chhatrapati) was actually from Kolhapur and argued that "they are not the true heirs, but are adopted", and that it is "the people of Kolhapur" who are the real inheritance holders.
Creating an uproar, Mandlik's comments drew criticism from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which included Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut and Kishore Tiwari and Congress's Atul Londhe.
"Adoption in royal families is not a new thing...Many people have become kings/rulers in this way in the past. Once adopted, they become the rightful representatives of that royal lineage. Chhatrapati Srimant Shahu Maharaj is a highly respected person in the public mind,” said Sharad Pawar.He lamented that Mandlik's comments indicate how low ruling party players can stoop to, and reflect their mentality towards opposition candidates.
Sharad Pawar said that Chhatrapati is following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and has established renowned educational institutions, for which the people of the entire state are grateful to him.
Londhe said that "Mandalik has grossly insulted the royal dynasty of Chhatrapati of Kolhapur, whose great contribution to the country, to the people of the state cannot be underestimated or compared with anyone".
Tiwari said Mandlik's words were "very bad considering the reputation of the Chhatrapati of Kolhapur among the public", and urged his (Shiv Sena) party leaders, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to take serious note of it.
“But, what can we expect from those who have hijacked Shisena (UBT) chief and father of former CM Uddhav Thackeray, late Balasaheb Thackeray, to break the party he founded (Shiv Sena).People of Kolhapur, we will definitely show Mahayuti-Shiv Sena candidate Mandlik in his place,” warned Tiwari.
Bharatiya Janata Party senior Praveen Darekar attempted to defend Mandlik B, saying that "he did not intend to insult Chhatrapati who is a very respected person", and suspected that it "may have been a slip of tongue". .
An angry Patil said, "He has insulted the descendants of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with such comments. He should apologize to the people of Kolhapur, Maharashtra and Chhatrapati's family members."
Unperturbed by the growing controversy, Mandlik denied any disrespect or allegations against Chhatrapati Srimant Shahu Maharaj.
Mandlik demanded, “What I meant to say was that this Chhatrapati is not from Kolhapur, he was adopted and he is an outsider… We respect Chhatrapati very much.Why should we apologise?"
Patil hit back asking, "Who has given the 'script' to Mandalik to read" and why after six decades he suddenly remembered Chhatrapati's royal lineage.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the people of Maharashtra will "neither forgive nor forget" the insult inflicted by Mandlik on Chhatrapati, who is a respected personality and the 12th direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar said that "Chhatrapati and his family have been accepted by the entire world", so it is not appropriate to comment on anyone's remarks against him.
Mandlik, who is hoping for a re-term in the Lok Sabha, raised the issue of Chhatrapati's distinguished lineage at an election rally on Thursday and claimed that Chhatrapati was actually "an adopted king".Mandlik questioned whether the Maharaja (Chhatrapati) was actually from Kolhapur and argued that "they are not the true heirs, but are adopted", and that it is "the people of Kolhapur" who are the real inheritance holders.
Creating an uproar, Mandlik's comments drew criticism from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which included Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut and Kishore Tiwari and Congress's Atul Londhe.
"Adoption in royal families is not a new thing...Many people have become kings/rulers in this way in the past. Once adopted, they become the rightful representatives of that royal lineage. Chhatrapati Srimant Shahu Maharaj is a highly respected person in the public mind,” said Sharad Pawar.He lamented that Mandlik's comments indicate how low ruling party players can stoop to, and reflect their mentality towards opposition candidates.
Sharad Pawar said that Chhatrapati is following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, and has established renowned educational institutions, for which the people of the entire state are grateful to him.
Londhe said that "Mandalik has grossly insulted the royal dynasty of Chhatrapati of Kolhapur, whose great contribution to the country, to the people of the state cannot be underestimated or compared with anyone".
Tiwari said Mandlik's words were "very bad considering the reputation of the Chhatrapati of Kolhapur among the public", and urged his (Shiv Sena) party leaders, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to take serious note of it.
“But, what can we expect from those who have hijacked Shisena (UBT) chief and father of former CM Uddhav Thackeray, late Balasaheb Thackeray, to break the party he founded (Shiv Sena).People of Kolhapur, we will definitely show Mahayuti-Shiv Sena candidate Mandlik in his place,” warned Tiwari.
Bharatiya Janata Party senior Praveen Darekar attempted to defend Mandlik B, saying that "he did not intend to insult Chhatrapati who is a very respected person", and suspected that it "may have been a slip of tongue". .
