Pune: There were heated exchange of words between members of Sambhaji Brigade and Akhil Bhartiya Bhrahman Mahasabha (ABBM) in the Pune municipal corporation as Bhrahmin mahasabha installed a photo of Dadoji Konddev in the PMC building.
Activists from Sambhaji Brigade protested saying the ABBM wants to glorify Mr Konddev. Later ABBM removed the photo. Meanwhile, the Pune mayor promised action against those responsible for the ruckus.
On the occasion of birth anniversary of Dadaji Konddev, members of All India Brahmin Mahasabha installed image of the Mr Konddev at one of the structures at PMC in Pune.
Anand Dave, president of Mahasabha, said, “Konddev’s statue at Lal Mahal was vandalised seven years ago and since then we have been demanding to install his statue somewhere in the city. The BJP before coming into power had promised that it would install the statue. However, it never happened.”
Santosh Shinde, president of Sambhaji Brigade said, “The mahasabha is playing casteist politics with this act. They want to potray that basically Brahmins had written the history because Dadaji Konddev who was a brahmin imparted all skills to Shivaji Maharaj who established the Maratha empire. However that is distortion of the history. The mahasabha is intentionally bringing the topic at fore.”
He said, “We want Shahaji’s (father of Shivaji) statue to be installed at Lal Mahal for his birth anniversary that is on March 18.”
Yogesh Gogawale, city chief of BJP refuted the mahasabha’s claim.
