In a damage-control exercise undertaken ahead of the State Assembly polls, Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday apologised publicly to “13 crore people of the people of the state” over the collapse of the 35-feet tall Shivaji statue in Sindhudurg district, even as the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and the ruling BJP workers had a face-off at Malvan where the statue crashed on Monday.
The political temperatures in the state rose in the state over the collapse of Shivaji’s statue for the third consecutive day, as the the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) announced its plan to hold q “Jode Maro” (hit with slippers) protest against the MahaYuti government in Mumbai on September 1.
The 35-feet tall Shivaji statue at 12.30 pm on August 26, within nine months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023 as part of the Navy day celebrations.
In an apparent effort to blunt the continued protests by the Opposition, Ajit Pawar tendered apology to the people of the state and said that the state government would initiate stern action against the contractor and state government officials responsible for the collapse of the statue of Mararath king at Malvan in Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region,
Speaking at a public function held at Latur in Marathwada region, Ajit Pawar said: “. Shivaji Maharaj is our deity. The collapse of the Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg has come as a big shock for us. On behalf of the MahaYuti government, I apologise to the 13 crore people of the state.... We will take stern action against the contractor and officials responsible for the erection of the Shivaji statue”.
Ajit Pawar also said that the state government would re-erect Shivaji’s statue at the same spot where it collapsed on Monday.
In a related development, the supporters of Union Minister and senior BJP leader Narayan Rane and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray virtually clashed at Malvan where both the leaders were on a visit to inspect the site where Shivaji’s statue collapsed on Monday.
