How a poem on Brahminism sparked political furore in Maha
Sharad Pawar had recently narrated a verse by poet Jawahar Rathod on casteism faced by backward classes
Faisal Malik
MUMBAI: A poem on Brahminism has stirred controversy in Maharashtra politics. Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale was arrested by the Thane police for allegedly posting objectionable content on Facebook against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Saturday.
Chitale shared a ‘poem’ purportedly written by advocate Nitin Bhave which allegedly made fun of Pawar’s illness and described him as an “anti-brahmin” leader who was destined to go to hell. The post contained phrases like “hell is waiting” and “you hate Brahmins” referring to the NCP chief.
Chitale’s post came a few days after Pawar had narrated a verse penned by a poet Jawahar Rathod on casteism faced by backward classes who are often not allowed to enter temples. In the poem, a stone-cutter laments that he made idols of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh using his chisel and t he idols were installed in a temple, but the stone-cutters themselves were not allowed to step inside the temple because they belong to lower caste.
Pawar had read the poem while addressing a gathering in Satara district on May 9. Soon after, a short clip of the speech was shared by the Maharashtra BJP unit on its Twitter handle alleging that the NCP chief was an atheist who always hated and insulted the Hindu religion.
“The poet voices the pain of the labourers who rue that they sculpted idols from the rock but they are stopped from entering the temple. The poem depicts pain, but if some people want to spread misinformation, they are free to do so,” the NCP chief said on Thursday, again reading out the poem in response to BJP’S claims.
“The stonecutter questions whether Brahma is the creator of the world or we (those who make his idols) are his father,” the NCP chief added.
Jaydev Dole, retired professor, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, said that Pawar was indirectly pointing out that Brahmins continue to be the dominant section of the society and are exploiting the backward classes.
“Caste is present in Maharashtra politics right from its formation. Though we speak about personalities such as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule -- all of whom were against casteism -- but in practice, caste has been the reality and caste has been the politics,” Dole said.
“Pawar read out the poem at the event organized by a leader from backward classes. While putting forth their pain over the entry into temples because of their caste, Pawar, in a way, also gave a message to the community that Brahmins are exploiting them and have been the dominant section in the society,” he added.
The state is set to hold elections in 23 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Navi Mumbai, and Kolhapur; 27 district councils, 298 panchayat samitis, 320 nagar panchayats and nagar councils.
Veteran journalist and author of ‘Jai Maharashtra’, a book on Shiv Sena, Prakash Akolkar said, “Political parties decide their candidates according to the dominant community of the constituencies and this fact cannot be denied,” Akolkar said.
Reacting to Chitale’s post against her father, NCP MP Supriya Sule said a perverted mindset is not good for society. “This is the issue of culture. If someone is ok with wishing for the death of someone then it is her choice,” Sule told reporters on Sunday.