New Delhi, Aug 7 (NationPress) Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, has ignited a political uproar following his remarks on ‘Sanatani terrorism’. In response, Sanatan Sanstha has issued a legal notice demanding that the Congress leader issue an unconditional apology or risk a defamation lawsuit totaling Rs 10 crores.

The notice, delivered by Virendra Marathe, a trustee of Sanatan Sanstha, asserts that Chavan's comments were not only objectionable but also derogatory towards the world's wealthiest civilization. Marathe urged him to rectify his statements.

Chavan's comments came during a press briefing after the Malegaon blast verdict on a recent Friday, where he suggested that the term ‘saffron terror’ was inadequate, proposing instead ‘Sanatani terrorism’ or ‘Hindu fundamentalism’, which drew severe criticism from the BJP.

“The term saffron terrorism is misleading. If it must be used, it should be termed ‘Sanatan terrorist’ or ‘Hindu terrorist’,” he declared while recalling his government’s efforts to prohibit such Sanatan groups during his tenure.

According to the legal notice, Chavan has been given a 15-day period to provide a written apology, along with a commitment to refrain from making similar offensive comments in the future.

Ramdas Kesarkar, the legal representative for Sanatan Sanstha, described Chavan's remarks as not only defamatory but also as an affront to the religious sentiments of countless followers of Sanatan Dharma.

“Should Chavan neglect to comply with our requests, we will pursue further legal recourse and file a criminal complaint against him,” he stated.

The organization also criticized Chavan’s inconsistency by highlighting his silence when other Congress leaders, such as P. Chidambaram and Sushil Shinde, introduced the term ‘saffron terror’.

Chavan's use of ‘Sanatani terrorism’ instead of saffron terror has sparked protests from the BJP and Shiv Sena, with demonstrators demanding a retraction of his statement.

Protesters from Shiv Sena staged a sit-in outside Tilak Bhavan, the Mumbai Congress office, insisting on a public apology from Chavan.

The Malegaon verdict, delivered 17 years post a bomb explosion near a mosque in Malegaon that resulted in six fatalities and many injuries, saw a special NIA court acquit all seven defendants, including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, citing the prosecution's inability to substantiate its case.