There was no love between Jodha and Akbar, her life put at stake for power, says BJP MLA; apologises later
The video of Rameshwar Sharma's remarks soon went viral after which reactions started coming from the Rajput community, which Jodha Bai belonged to. Sharma later apologised and said he made the comments with regards to the Mughals' "divide and rule" policy.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker is facing the heat over a controversial statement he made about Mughal emperor Akbar and his wife Jodha Bai. Rameshwar Sharma, the MLA form Huzur seat in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, said the there was no love between Akbar and Jodha Bai, and the marriage happened due to ambitions of some power hungry people, Hindustan Times' sister publication Livehindustan reported on Tuesday.
Sharma made the remarks while addressing a gathering in Sagar on Hindutva.
"There was no 'I Love You' between Jodha Bai and Akbar. Was there anything? Did they study together in college? Did they meet somewhere? At coffee house? Or in a gym? When people get power hungry and put their daughters on the line... beware of such robbers," Sharma said in the video posted by Livehindustan.
The video soon went viral after which reactions started coming from the Rajput community, which Jodha Bai belonged to. Sharma later apologised and said he made the comments with regards to the Mughals' "divide and rule" policy.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Sharma said that his intention was not to hurt the sentiments of any community, and that he apologises to the entire Rajput community. The BJP leader said people should understand that Maharana Pratap (a Rajput) was a great leader, and not Akbar.
He also said that Rajputs have always protected Hindus and the entire country is proud of their tales of bravery.