HT
 
Mumbai, Dec 13: The Maharashtra state Assembly witnessed pandemonium during the zero hour on Wednesday with the BJP and Shiv Sena members vociferously protesting over the derogatory remarks on the great Maratha King Shivaji in an international website.

The Deputy Chief Minister, RR Patil, who also holds the Home portfolio, tried to pacify members by announcing that the Mumbai police would take an appropriate action on the issue.

He said that police are looking for those miscreants, who have referred to the great Maratha King Shivaji in a derogative manner in the website recently.

Patil maintained that people of the state would not tolerate such derogative remarks against the great son of the soil. "We have already blocked the website when it was brought to our notice.

Moreover, the Mumbai police would initiate action against the involved persons under the cyber-crime offences," he added.

The Deputy CM also condemned the opposition leader in the neighbouring Gujarat state for allegedly making a statement against Shivaji that he was a 'looter'.

Raising the issue in the House, the BJP members, Alka Khedekar pointed out that the Orkut, a friendship website, had named the great warrior as "impotent Shivaji" that hurt the millions of people in the country. The website should be blocked immediately and the concerned be dealt with firmly. She said that as many as 47 persons were involved in the episode.

The BJP leader Gopinath Munde said that the Maharashtra was already tense and if such trends were not crushed ruthlessly, there is a possibility of serious consequences and even cause a law and order problem. According to him, the description given on the site was vulgar and defamatory which showed disrespect to the great Maratha worrier.

The rude remarks on Shivaji hurt people of the country, particularly Maharashtra. He sought an immediate action against the miscreants.

Munde also said that the House should adopt a resolution against the opposition leader in Gujarat for making a derogatory remark recently against Shivaji. The opposition leader described the Maratha warlord as "looter." The House should take up the issue and make a necessary resolution, he urged.

However, the House did not adopt any resolution on it. But the Deputy CM Patil, who was replying the question, strongly condemned the opposition leader for making such statement against Shivaji.