Pune: Leaders should lead the masses, instead of what is happening now where masses are leading the leaders, BJP national executive committee member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said on Friday. Sahasrabuddhe was addressing the inaugural function of a two-day conference at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on the relevance of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 's life and work in the 21st century. This year marks the 350th year of the Maratha warrior king's coronation ceremony (Rajyabhishek).
Sahasrabuddhe said, "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the epitome of courage and conviction. True leaders lead the masses and refuse to be led by them. Today, we are witnessing a role reversal — where the masses lead the leaders.
Unfortunately, we now see a reversal, leading to a politics where cowardice often masquerades as strategy (‘ran neeti') — something Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never succumbed to." The former MP highlighted how Shivaji's self-confidence was "a game-changer" and set a new standard of leadership , "unlike the unfortunate failures of earlier leaders like Raja Dahir and Prithviraj Chauhan who were great but unsuccessful". Revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who also spoke at the event, said politicians "whose days are numbered" are viewing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj "through the narrow lenses" of caste and religion.
"This is misguided and should be avoided," he said. Senior historian Sadanand More said Maharashtra has created a space in global history because of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "However, we have not done justice to his name.
He is known for his daring escape from Agra, where he was placed under house arrest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Unfortunately, today we have trapped his name in politics and caste issues," he said. Over 75 dissertations will be presented at the conference.
A special postal stamp was released marking the 75th anniversary of SPPU. A new auditorium was also inaugurated at the Iravati Karve social sciences complex during the function..
