Prominent Maratha organisation Sambhaji Brigade will hold a silent march with several other organisations and opposition parties as part of their call for a bandh in Pune on Tuesday. Under the banner "Sarvdharmiya Shivpremi Punekar", the bandh is held against the alleged remarks made by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP leaders on Chhatrapati Shivaji that have stirred up controversy in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, governor Koshyari caused controversy by calling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an "icon of olden times." He then apologised, claiming that his comments had been misunderstood. His resignation has been demanded by the opposition parties and several Maratha organisations.
Following a gathering in front of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue on the grounds of SSPMS in Shivajinagar, the Sambhaji Brigade, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Congress, and the Shiv Sena (UBT) campaigned for a bandh last week. Later, a large number of additional organisations chose to support the bandh and partake in it.
The Sarvdharmiya Shivpremi Punekar forum said in a statement that a silent march will start at 9.30 am on Tuesday after offering flowers at the statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji in Deccan. The march would traverse the Alka Theatre Chowk, Laxmi Road, and Belbaug Chowk before arriving at Lal Mahal, where the Maratha monarch Chhatrapati Shivaji was born and raised. A public demonstration will be conducted close to the Lal Mahal.
Descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji—former Rajya Sabha member Sambhajiraje Bhosale and current BJP Rajya Sabha member Udayanraje Bhosale—along with opposition leader Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena-UBT member Sushma Andhare are anticipated to join the silent march and rally.
The protest's major demand is that Koshyari be terminated from his position as governor by the Union government. They will also seek an apology for the insults made regarding the Maratha monarch who reigned in the 17th century from both the Governor and the BJP.
