Tension flared between Congress and BJP on February 15, 2026, after an FIR was registered against Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal. The FIR was filed by BJP Pune city president Dheeraj Ghate, accusing Sapkal of hurting sentiments by comparing Tipu Sultan to Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The complaint was lodged late on February 14 at Parvati police station. Following this, stone throwing broke out near Congress Bhavan, Mumbai, injuring some people and damaging vehicles, police said. Sapkal condemned the stone pelting and blamed BJP, calling it a "life-threatening attack on Congress women workers and women journalists." He accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of trying to incite riots by twisting his words. Sapkal demanded that Pune Police arrest those responsible, including Dheeraj Ghate and Mayor Manjusha Nagpure. Congress said BJP workers protested outside Congress Bhavan while their own supporters rallied behind their state president. Congress leader Prashant Jagtap accused BJP of raising the issue to distract from other problems like the Metro 4 accident. BJP's Dheeraj Ghate countered, saying Congress workers attacked peacefully ending protests with sticks. The controversy started when Shiv Sena opposed the installation of Tipu Sultan’s portrait in Malegaon’s deputy mayor’s office. Later, Sapkal's remarks calling Tipu Sultan a brave warrior on par with Shivaji Maharaj triggered BJP protests. Chief Minister Fadnavis called the comparison “unacceptable.” On February 15, BJP protested in Pune and Mumbai by burning Sapkal’s effigies and putting black ink on his photos. Sapkal questioned BJP's stance, asking how Fadnavis allows Tipu Sultan’s photo on BJP election posters and pointed to BJP's alliance with AIMIM. He also noted BJP's plan to march and burn his effigy on February 17, questioning if they would do the same for politicians Savarkar and Koshyari, who made controversial remarks about Shivaji Maharaj.