Book mentions Jijamata as Shivaji’s wife

Pune: Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha organisation, protested against the mention of Jijamata, the mother of  Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as his wife in class XI
Sanskrit textbooks, by throwing onions and potatoes at education commissionerate office on Friday.

The organisation also warned of dire consequences if no action was taken against the writer and publication. It also demanded the suspension of officials responsible for selecting the book.

Santosh Shinde, chief of the Sambhaji Brig-ade, said, “The state committee and the university’s syllabus committee have selected this book. The state should take action against members of these committees and the writer; otherwise, the group will conduct a statewide protest.”

Meanwhile, Nikita Publication and Latur-based writer Rajendra Shastri   have apologised for the mistake in  a statement.

The publication will take back all the books and republish the revised version.

Education commissioner Vishal Solanki said, “This book was not selected by any government department. It is a kind of guidebook that is published privately for students. Still, we will take action after holding an inquiry.”