BJP MP Udayanraje Bhosale demands action against Maharashtra governor, party colleague

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Rajya Sabha member Udayanraje Bhosale on Tuesday demanded that it take action against Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi as it had done in Nupur Sharma's case.

Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, participated in a protest march organized by opposition parties in Pune city against recent statements by Koshyari and a few BJP leaders which were perceived as insulting Maharashtra's icons. Koshyari stirred up controversy last month when he called Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, an "icon of olden times" at a public function.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi's statement that Shivaji Maharaj had 'apologised' to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb also evoked angry reactions in Maharashtra.

"The kind of disciplinary action was taken against Nupur Sharma should now be taken against Koshyari and Trivedi. This is the feeling of most people in Maharashtra," Bhosale told reporters in Pune. Sharma was removed as BJP spokesperson after huge controversy erupted over her remarks about Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate.