Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh on Friday came under fire from BJP MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati for clicking photos near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Raigad fort near Mumbai.
The BJP MP, a descendant of the Maratha king, said the act was condemnable.
"Some celebrities have clicked their photos while sitting on the plinth of the throne of (Shivaji) Maharaj with their back towards him. It is condemnable," he tweeted. "There will be norms in place to curb such practices," he said.
"I had bowed before him (Shivaji) and garlanded his statue. I had wanted to sit at his feet from many years now. While sitting there, we clicked some pictures and posted them on social media and we only had devotion in our minds while doing so," he said.
"We did not want to hurt anybody while clicking these photos or while sitting there. Yet, if anybody is hurt, we apologise," he said.
