Panaji: A day after a state Tourism Ministry’s tweet likening Maratha king Shivaji’s military action against Portuguese-held Goa as an act of “invasion”, the Opposition has continued to pile pressure on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a Maratha by caste himself, of slandering Shivaji.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was not only a warrior but also a great ruler & was surely not a(n) invader. You must learn about his administrative skills & equal justice to all policy. The Great Maratha King was effective & not defective in Governance like in Goa. @PMOIndia @AmitShah,” state Congress president Girish Chodankar tweeted on Saturday.
On Friday, the official handle of the Goa Tourism Ministry had tweeted: “The Aguada jail is part of the beautiful Fort Aguada which was built in the year 1612. This fort which once defended the Portuguese stronghold against Dutch and Maratha invaders is divided into two main parts — The upper and the lower fort.”
The tweet was later deleted with an apology for the alleged error, but not before the opposition, in unison, accused Sawant of slandering Shivaji and his Maratha army.
On Saturday, however Sawant on the occasion of the death anniversary of the Maratha king, offered his respects to the late ruler. “I bow in reverence to the Great Warrior King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ji on his Punyatithi today,” Sawant said.
