Several Maratha outfits, including the Sambhaji Brigade, have objected to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s newly minted flag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’, with the Brigade approaching the Pune police on Thursday demanding that an FIR be lodged against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and his party for using the Maratha King’s seal for ‘crass’ political purposes.
The Brigade leaders submitted a written application to the police urging a probe and an FIR against the ‘misuse’ of the seal.
Lashing out at Mr. Thackeray, the Brigade said it would also approach the State Election Commission to lodge a complaint against the MNS.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Rajmudra [royal seal] was created by the king for the welfare of the people. Its purpose was to ensure a fair and just administration, and it lent a great weight to Shivaji’s decisions owing to his ideals of Swarajya. It is a symbol of great import and significance to the admirers and followers of the Chhatrapati. But it is highly inappropriate for any party to use the seal for petty political purposes,” said Santosh Shinde, district president, Sambhaji Brigade.
He said the Brigade would also approach the Chhatrapati’s direct descendants including ex-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-turned BJP leader Udayanraje Bhosale and urge them to pursue the case vigorously.
The famous first lines of the seal say, “Ever growing in splendour like the moon on the first day of the bright half of the month, and adored by the world, this seal of Shivaji, the son of Shahaji, shines for the welfare of all.”
Saying the Brigade strongly condemned the intentions of the MNS, Mr. Shinde said Mr. Thackeray’s party, which had thus based its politics on regional chauvinism and social divisiveness, had no moral authority to use the seal.
“The MNS keeps changing its colours like a chameleon. When it failed to secure any votes on its earlier flag, it has now taken recourse to a new stratagem by incorporating Shivaji’s seal for seeking votes…we strongly condemn Mr. Thackeray and his party and we will keep opposing them.”
While his party did not contest, Mr. Thackeray’s spirited campaigning for the Congress and the NCP in the general election last year had come a cropper, with the BJP-Sena candidates winning with huge margins in the very constituencies the MNS chief had held rallies.
In the Assembly polls held in October, Mr. Thackeray entered the poll arena and contested in 100 seats, winning only one (Kalyan Rural).