'Shivaji Maharaj looted Surat': BJP leader Narayan Rane contradicts Devendra Fadnavis, sparks controversy

Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Narayan Rane sparked controversy on Monday by stating that Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did, in fact, loot Surat. Rane's comments assume significance because it comes on the heels of a statement made by deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis who had come down heavily on the Congress Party for allegedly spreading false narratives about Shivaji Maharaj. 

During a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai, Rane responded to a question by saying, “I am not a historian, but from what I have read, heard, and learned from historian Babasaheb Purandare, ‘Shivaji Maharaj ni Surat la loot keli’ (Shivaji Maharaj looted Surat).”

On Sunday, Fadnavis had stated, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never looted Surat.” He then went ahead and accused former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of misrepresenting the Maratha king in his book The Discovery of India. According to Fadnavis, Nehru's depiction of Shivaji as a plunderer was historically inaccurate and that Congress, post-Independence, deliberately taught this version to distort Shivaji's legacy. According to Fadnavis, Shivaji's actions were motivated by the pursuit of ‘swarajya’ (self-rule) and aimed at reclaiming wealth for the greater good of the nation.

The debate over Shivaji’s legacy has intensified in Maharashtra following the collapse of his statue in Malvan, Sindhudurg district, leading to a war of words between the ruling party and the opposition. Historical records do indicate that Shivaji attacked and looted Surat twice, in 1664 and 1670, when it was a wealthy Mughal port city. However, the motivations and interpretations of these actions remain contentious.

During his media interaction, Rane accused the opposition of politicizing the statue incident with an eye on upcoming elections, calling it "unfortunate." He criticized senior leaders, particularly Sharad Pawar, for not stepping forward to maintain peace. Rane suggested that the opposition was exploiting the situation to create unrest.

Rane also took umbrage against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray's recent remarks, where Thackeray suggested that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should leave the country. 

Regarding the tensions in Malvan between Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters and his own followers after the statue collapse, Rane downplayed the incidents, asserting that there were no violent clashes. He emphasized that the police should have managed the situation better by allowing political parties to visit the site in an orderly manner.