The man whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi once referred to as one of his inspirations, today said the government should ensure that the practice of observing two Shivaji Jayantis on two separate dates should be stopped.
"People are fed up with having two dates for Shivaji Jayanti. We should have only a single date acceptable to all. The government should take a decision on the issue by February 19," Bhide Guruji said at an event in Kolhapur district, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The 'official' date of February 19, fixed by the previous Congress-led government, is not acceptable to Shiv Sena, which holds the Jayanti celebrations as per the Hindu calendar.
The Shiv Sena believes the birth anniversary of Shivaji should be observed in accordance with the Hindu calendar and as determined by planetary positions.
At his election rally in Sangli's Tasgaon in October 2014, Modi had referred to staunch Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide (Guruji) as one of his inspirations.
A former RSS activist, Bhide is the founder president of the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, an outfit with sizeable clout in Sangli, Satara, and Kolhapur districts of western Maharashtra.
At the Tasgaon rally, Modi had said he had come to seek blessings of Bhide Guruji, who had been an inspiration during the early days of his life. Modi had also reminded crowds that "at the instance of Bhide Guruji, he had visited the Raigad fort to gain inspiration from Maratha warrior king Chatrapati Shivaji, before accepting the responsibility of leading the BJP to power at the Centre".
