Congress leader Digvijay Singh today criticised the Maharashtra government over its decision to confer writer Babasaheb Purandare with the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan award, terming the move as "an insult to the nation".
The leader came down heavily on the Devendra Fadnavis government for choosing a name "responsible for distorting the history of King Shivaji".
"Awarding B M Purandare, who distorted history of Shivaji Maharaj, with title of Maharashtra Bhushan is an insult to the Nation," the Congress general secretary said on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The leader alleged that tampering with historical facts has become an RSS agenda and also condemned the attack on NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad on the issue.
"Distorting history is RSS Agenda and I strongly condemn their attack on MLA Jitendra Awhad, a relentless fighter against communal forces," he tweeted.
The Maharashtra government had announced to confer 92-year-old Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, better known as Babasaheb, with Maharashtra Bhushan award earlier this year. Purandare is often credited for his work relating to history of King Shivaji.
The decision, however, is being opposed by NCP and outfits like Sambhaji Brigade.
According to media reports, Awhad had raised objections over the government decision and sought to revoke the award during a programme organised by Sambhaji Brigade on July 19 at Sangali in Maharashtra.
Awhad's remarks, however, did not go down well with members of Shiv Pratishthan, a newly-floated organisation with sizable following in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts of Western Maharashtra.
The party workers disrupted the leader's speech and allegedly targeted him later.
