Union Minister Amit Shah being felicitated during the unveiling of a statue of Peshwa Bajirao riding a horse at the NDA Academy in Pune. Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde (right) looks on.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde including ‘Jai Gujarat’ during his speech in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at an event in Pune sparked a war of words on Friday, with the Opposition alleging it is indicative of the Mahayuti government deferring to the Centre vis-a-vis Gujarat, the State both Mr. Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hail from.
The Union Home Minister, during his visit to Maharashtra, attended several public programmes in Pune. At an event organised by the Gujarati community that was also attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the two Deputy CMs, Mr. Shinde praised Mr. Shah and ended his speech with “Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra! Jai Gujarat!”
Clip vs clip
The clip immediately went viral on social media. Leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) called Mr. Shinde the leader of ‘Shah Sena’. “Due to Amit Shah, he has forgotten that he is the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Don’t get us wrong. Gujarat is an important part of India. If I go to Gujarat, I will say ‘Jai Gujarat’. But in Maharashtra, we will say ‘Jai Maharashtra’. The process of selling Maharashtra to Gujarat has begun. This is an insult to Maharashtra,” Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut reacted.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena in turn circulated video clips showing Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray saying “Jai Gujarat!” The Opposition party, however, pointed out that the clip was from an election rally in Gujarat.
Mr. Shinde proceeded to hold a press conference on the issue. “We are Marathi-lovers. Is Gujarat a part of Pakistan? We are linked to the soil of Marathi and Maharashtra. There is no need to teach us… I said what I said in Pune so that the community should feel appreciated. Marathi is our breath, Hindutva our soul. This politics is due to the impending [Mumbai civic] elections,” he said.
Peshwa statue unveiled
Earlier in the day, Mr. Shah unveiled an equestrian statue of Peshwa Bajirao I at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune district. Stating that no military commander in the world can match the record of the 18th century Maratha general, the Union Home Minister credited Maratha king Shivaji for the establishment of swaraj (sovereignty) and Peshwas for carrying forward his legacy. “India’s armed forces and leadership will continue to sustain swaraj; Operation Sindoor is an example of it,” he said.
“In 2047, India should dominate in all the fields in the world. That should be the goal of our lives,” he said after unveiling the 13.5-foot-tall, 4,000-kg bronze statue of Bajirao I on the NDA campus at Khadakwasla.
Published – July 05, 2025 01:22 am IST
