PM Narendra Mod hails Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as India's pride

PM Modi hailed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as pride of India as he paid glowing tributes to the Maratha warrior king on the eve of his 392nd birth anniversary.

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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 anniversary.

He 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 trains. "Tomorrow (Feb 19) is jayanti of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I salute India's pride, India's identity and protector of her culture who was a great hero (mahan mahanayak)," he said. The 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 pandemic. Congress workers have been told to send letters to Leader of Opposition in the assembly Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP to press their demand. The 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".