Hindutva leader bats for retaining statue of dog on Raigad fort

Wed, 26 March 2025

23:37

Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide on Wednesday disputed ex-MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati's claim about the lack of historical basis for the existence of a dog with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

He opposed the removal of the canine's statue on Raigad fort, claiming that an anecdote suggests 'Waghya' dog had jumped into the burning pyre of Shivaji Maharaj.

Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, who belongs to the royal family of Kolhapur, has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to remove the dog's statue located near Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi on the Raigad Fort.

"Whatever, Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati said about Waghya is 100 per cent incorrect. The dog had indeed leapt into the burning pyre of Shivaji Maharaj," Bhide told reporters.

He said the ruckus in the state legislature over the Kunal Kamra issue shows the lack of respect for democracy.

"I will not name a particular person...but all those who have done this are traitors," he said without elaborating. He praised the late deputy chief minister R R Patil for shutting dance bars in Mumbai.

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