Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday hit out at the Eknath Shinde-led government over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue, alleging that corruption has peaked under the Mahayuti dispensation.
A 35-foot-tall statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg on December 4 last year, collapsed on Monday afternoon.
Addressing a press conference here, along with Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, Thackeray said the government's claim that the statue collapsed due to gusty winds is the height of shamelessness.
He said there is unease in Maharashtra over the collapse of the statue. To protest against the government, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will take out a march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai on September 1, the former chief minister said.
Thackeray said prominent leaders, including Pawar, from all MVA constituents Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress will join the protest. Those creating obstructions in the MVA's morcha today in Malvan against the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue are betrayers of the warrior king, he said. Thackeray alleged the government has no love for Chhatrapati Shivaji.
He was referring to a clash between Sena (UBT) workers and supporters of BJP MP Narayan Rane after an MVA delegation went to the Rajkot fort. Hitting out at Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar for his remarks that something good will come out of the collapse, Thackeray said this means a new tender will be floated to build a new structure and there will be a scam again.
Referring to the case against the contractor, Thackeray said the government accepts that a crime has been committed. He said the government is going to absolve itself by putting the blame on the Navy. The state government on Tuesday said the structure was built by the Navy. The Sena (UBT) chief said that the event to erect the statue of Shivaji at the fort in Malvan tehsil was held hurriedly in December 2023 to win Konkan and Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls.
This sin has to be exposed, he said. Information has also come to the fore that the sculptor did not have the experience of building tall statues and was unaware of the geographical conditions of the area, claimed Thackeray.
Pawar said the government cannot absolve itself by blaming the Navy as its permission is necessary to install the statue. He also alleged corruption while making this statue. Corruption has peaked in the state, he said, adding that the sentiments against the government are intense.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, for his alleged failure to control the situation triggered by the collapse of the Shivaji statue. Speaking to reporters, Sule said, I demand the resignation of Devendra Fadnavis for his failure to control the aftermath. He should step down on moral grounds.
People are agitated because of this incident and there has been no official apology from the state government so far, Sule claimed. The parliamentarian said it was concerning that the state government is squarely attributing the responsibility to the Indian Navy, which plays a crucial role in safeguarding the country from external threats.
It appears the government's focus is primarily on self-preservation and catering to preferred contractors. Individuals in positions of authority seem reluctant to acknowledge their accountabilities in such incidents, she added. With the statue collapse threatening to snowball into a major controversy ahead of assembly polls, Fadnavis has said that the state government has decided to install a bigger statue of the 17th-century Maratha king at the same place in Sindhudurg district.
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