Pune, 3rd June 2025: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Pune on Friday, July 4, to unveil a grand equestrian statue of Shreemant Thorle Bajirao Peshwa at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. The 13.5-foot-tall bronze statue, weighing around 4,000 kg, has been donated by the Shreemant Thorle Bajirao Peshwa Pratishthan.
The event will be attended by key dignitaries including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol.
Highlighting Bajirao's military legacy, the Pratishthan’s head Gokhale remarked, “Though Thorle Bajirao lived only for four decades, he never lost a single battle. This statue will serve as a lasting source of inspiration for future NDA cadets.”
However, the event has not been without controversy. Nawab Shadab Ali Bahadur Peshwa, a descendant of Mastani and Thorle Bajirao, has announced a boycott of the event, alleging that he was invited late and not given a place on the main stage.
“This is an insult to Bajirao Peshwa’s true bloodline,” he said, expressing his disappointment over being offered a seat in the audience while other Peshwa descendants from Pune were given space on the dais.
Nawab Shadab Ali Bahadur further claimed he is the legitimate blood descendant of Bajirao Peshwa, arguing that the current Pune-based descendants trace their lineage through adoption. He stated that his forefather, Shamsher Bahadur, fought alongside the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 and died at the young age of 27. His great-grandfather, Nawab Ali Bahadur, supported Rani Lakshmibai during the 1857 rebellion and fought bravely against British forces.
Following the statue unveiling, Amit Shah is scheduled to attend a series of events across Pune. He will lay the foundation stone of the Jayraj Sports and Convention Centre in Kondhwa Budruk, visit the Balasaheb Deoras Hospital at Khadi Machine Chowk, and conclude the day with the ground-breaking ceremony of the Poona Health Research Center project at Wadachiwadi Road near Undri.