Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh got emotional on Tuesday, January 6, after Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan made controversial remarks about his late father, former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Riteish Deshmukh makes emotional appeal to BJP leader
Riteish shared a video on social media, looking straight into the camera. “With folded hands, I want to say, when someone lives for the people, their names get etched in people’s hearts. You can erase something that’s written, but you can’t erase what’s etched,” he said.
All this started a day earlier, when Chavan, speaking to BJP workers in Latur Vilasrao Deshmukh’s hometown, claimed the city would soon “wipe out” memories of the late Congress leader.
The comments immediately set off a storm. Congress leaders hit back, accusing the BJP of trying to erase the legacy of a man who spent his life working for Maharashtra.
The Congress fired off a statement from Mumbai, firmly saying nobody can erase Vilasrao Deshmukh’s memory from Latur. According to them, plenty of people have tried before, but the people of Latur always push back.
Congress leaders pointed out that Deshmukh put Latur on the national map and spent his life working for the area. They slammed BJP leaders for what they called careless, disrespectful remarks, seeing it as arrogance from those in power.
They didn’t stop there. Congress questioned whether BJP leaders even understood what Vilasrao Deshmukh meant to Latur, insisting these critics had no idea about the bond he shared with the city.
The party warned that Latur wouldn’t stand for any insult to their “capable and illustrious son,” promising a strong answer at the right time.
Vilasrao Deshmukh served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister twice, and people in Latur still talk about everything he did for their city.
Maharashtra BJP Chief Ravindra Chavan apologises
With criticism piling up, Ravindra Chavan tried to clear things up. He apologised, saying, “These local elections should be about civic amenities, who can solve those problems faster. I never criticised Vilasrao Deshmukh.
But Congress keeps asking for votes in his name. Still, if Riteish’s feelings are hurt, he’s a good friend, I apologise. Don’t see my statement as political.”
