04 June,2019 02:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Payal Rohatgi. Pic/Twitter
Payal Rohatgi kicked up a controversy on Sunday after she posted a tweet on Shivaji Maharaj's caste. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born in shudra varna in a family of farmers and by sacred thread ceremony and remarriage to his spouse made a kshatriya so that he could be coronated King. So people from one Varna could go to another Varna if they acquired that skill. No casteism?" (sic) the actor said in a tweet on Sunday.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged the ruling BJP had paid Rohatgi and others to carry out character defamation of the opposition leaders and other famous social workers on their Twitter handles. "We won't tolerate any disrespect towards Shivaji Maharaj, who is idolised by many. Payal had also defamed Raja Ram Mohan Roy, supported 'Sati' system, and now she has also dared to insult Shivaji Maharaj. This behaviour won't be tolerated," he said.
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NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik called for strict action and a police complaint against the actor. "If Maharashtra CM does not take any action on her then we will protest across the state," he said.
Also Read: Payal Rohatgi and Gauahar Khan got into an ugly Twitter spat for this reason
After she faced immense backlash for her tweet, Payal Rohatgi uploaded a video Monday, apologising for her comments. Payal Rohatgi said, "My simple question has been misconstrued into a 'hate speech. Even I, obviously, worship such a legendary Hindu King. I was reading something and came across information which I put out. But social media is full of nameless trolls," she said in the video. Rohatgi said she didn't ask the question to put the Maratha king down. "I apologise with folded hands to all those who thought I was speaking ill about their Maharaj...It's clear that I don't have the right to even ask a question as it'll be taken in the wrong sense."
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhyaya said that Payal Rohatgi's tweet has nothing to do with the party as she is not related in any way to BJP.
Also Read: Payal Rohatgi trolled for her Kerala tweet; takes a jibe at Swara Bhasker
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