Mumbai Mar 21 PTI BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to consider celebrating Shiv Jayanti as per tithi on a day Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took part in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs birth anniversary celebrations as per the Hindu calendar Speaking in the Lower House Mungantiwar demanded that the government place a photograph of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the premises of the state legislature building so that legislators can pay their respect to the 17th-century warrior king as per the tithi Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar maintained that the government celebrates the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on February 19 the official birth date He said Thackeray took part in a Shiv Jayanti programme on Monday in his capacity as the Shiv Sena president The government celebrates the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on February 19 official birth date But members of all the parties can pay respect to the king by bowing before his statue in the legislature premises when his birth anniversary is celebrated as per the tithi Pawar said Earlier in the day Thackeray took part in an event as Shiv Sena celebrated the Shiv Jayanti as per the Hindu calendar The chief minister who is the head of the state is celebrating the anniversary as per the tithi I took information from government officials who said that tithi is unacceptable to them So we are in a dilemmaThis is not a good situation Mungantiwar said He said there is no harm in paying respect to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by bowing before the latters photograph every day If the chief minister and legislators of the Shiv Sena BJP and other parties are celebrating the birth anniversary as per the tithi the government too should arrange for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs photograph for members to pay respect in the legislature premises Mungantiwar demanded Responding to the BJP MLA Pawar said that when Mungantiwar was finance minister in the previous BJP government Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs photograph was not kept in the premises of the legislature for paying tributes to the king as per the Hindu calendar It is a universal truth that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our deity There is no second opinion about it Pawar said He added as per records Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on February 19 in 1630 and every year the chief minister attends birth anniversary events at the Shivneri Fort on that day The chief minister has taken part in a Shiv Jayanti programme today in his capacity as the Shiv Sena president Pawar added The Sena heads the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi government in which NCP and Congress are the two other constituents He said members of any party can celebrate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajs birth anniversary as per the tithi if they want to They can go to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and pay their respects he added PTI ENM NSK NSK

Thane Feb 19 PTI Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday participated in the events held on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Thane city Fadnavis was accompanied by MoS Kapil Patil the BJPs city unit president and MLC Niranjan Davkhare MLA Sanjay Kelkar and other local leaders The BJP leader first paid floral tribute to the statue of the Maratha king at the centre of Masunda lake in the heart of the city Speaking to reporters Fadnavis greeted Shiv bhakts across the world on the occasion and said the state and country were inspired and guided by the teachings of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj As long as we follow the teachings of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and resort to good and equal governance nobody can enslave us the BJP leader said PTI COR ARU ARU

Mumbai Feb 18 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a mahan mahanayak or a great hero and pride of India as he paid glowing tributes to the Maratha warrior king on the eve of his 392nd birth anniversaryHe was speaking after virtually inaugurating two additional railway lines 5th and 6th on the Thane-Diva section of the Central Railway and flagging off new suburban trainsTomorrow Feb 19 is jayanti of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj I salute Indias pride Indias identity and protector of her culture who was a great hero mahan mahanayak he saidThe Congress in Maharashtra has demanded that Modi apologise and seek forgiveness on Shiv Jayanti for his alleged anti-Maharashtra remarks made in context of the coronavirus pandemicCongress workers have been told to send letters to Leader of Opposition in the assembly Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP to press their demandThe party a constituent of the ruling MVA alliance has accused the PM of insulting Maharashtra in Parliament by calling its people spreaders of COVID-19 PTI MR RSY RSY