U.P. to Maharashtra: Aurangzeb and Shivaji ammo for political discourse

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had on February 19 vowed to build a grand memorial in the honour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in UP's Agra, where the Maratha warrior king was once held captive by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

- Hemendra Chaturvedi

AGRA: At an event marking Shivaji's 395th birth anniversary at the Agra Fort, Fadnavis said he would talk to his UP counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, about acquiring land near Kothi Meena Bazar for the project.

Since then, the 'Shivaji-Aurangzeb' issue has shaped the political narrative from Agra in UP to Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The two historical figures also reverberated in both the Maharashtra and UP Assembly's last sessions.

Fadnavis' statement is moving towards reality with both the BJP-led governments progressing towards building the memorial, regarding which the Maharashtra CM had said: "I swear on my mother, once this memorial is ready, more people will come to see it than your Taj Mahal. If they don't, you can change my name."

On March 21, the Maharashtra issued a government resolution (GR), stating: "The government will build a grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Agra where he was under house arrest."

As per the resolution, the Maharashtra tourism department will act as the nodal department for land acquisition, other key aspects of the project and also provide necessary funds for it. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation will function as the "implementing mechanism".