Devendra Fadnavis Slams Jayant Patil's Remarks On Shivaji Maharaj: 'My King Was Never A Looter'

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis denounced the portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a "looter", rebutting remarks by NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday asserted that any description of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a looter would not be tolerated, following remarks by NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jayant Patil, who claimed that the Maratha king had sought extortion from Surat to expand Swarajya. Fadnavis called on Indian scholars to unite and correct the erroneous portrayal of the Maratha empire's founder by English historians.

"Shivaji Maharaj is being viewed from the prism of English historians," the BJP leader stated, urging scholars to rectify these misinterpretations, as quoted by news agency PTI. "My only point is my king was never a looter. I will not tolerate anyone calling my king a looter. Maharaj was never a plunderer. He never bothered a common man," Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.

The Deputy Chief Minister also criticised the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), remarking that leaders whose government was labelled as an "extortionist government" would naturally view historical events through the lens of extortion. His comments were in response to Patil, who had earlier stated that Shivaji Maharaj had demanded extortion from Surat. 

At an event on Friday, Patil said, "Chhatrapati Shivaji had informed Surat that we (Maratha army) need extortion of a specific amount. However, when the amount was not paid, a messenger was sent by the Mughals to attack Shivaji Maharaj, leading to the looting of Surat after the messenger was killed." Patil added that while looters act to fill their coffers, Shivaji Maharaj used the wealth to establish Swarajya.

Devendra Fadnavis' Remark Spark Row Over Shivaji Maharaj 'Looting' Surat

The controversy reignited when Fadnavis recently raised the 1664 battle of Surat, where Shivaji Maharaj's forces defeated Mughal commander Inayat Khan. Fadnavis accused the Congress of misrepresenting history, teaching that Shivaji Maharaj had plundered Surat, a claim he refuted by saying, "Maharaj didn't loot Surat. He only took back Swarajya's treasure from appropriate people." The BJP's stance has been met with opposition from the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, who accused the party of attempting to rewrite history.

On the ongoing debate, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Narayan Rane on September 2 weighed in, asserting that Shivaji Maharaj had indeed looted Surat. "I am not a historian," Rane said during a media interaction at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai, "But from whatever I have read, heard, and known from historian Babasaheb Purandare, 'Shivaji Maharaj ni Surat la loot keli' (Shivaji Maharaj had looted Surat)," he was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

Rane’s remarks came just a day after Fadnavis criticised the Congress for spreading what he called "false propaganda" against Shivaji Maharaj.