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The political landscape of Maharashtra has been shaken by the collapse of a statue of Maratha icon Shivaji Maharaj, leading to a heated exchange between the ruling party and the opposition. Uddhav Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of arrogance in his apology for the incident, alleging that it was a ploy to cover up corruption.
During a protest organized by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Mumbai, Thackeray asserted that the people of Maharashtra will not accept Modi's apology, claiming that it was insincere and veiled an attempt to conceal corruption within the statue's construction. He went further, stating that Modi's involvement in projects like the Ram temple, Parliament House, and the Shivaji Maharaj statue have consistently resulted in substandard work. He also issued a call for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to leave India, referencing their counter-protest as anti-Shivaji Maharaj.
Echoing Thackeray's sentiments, Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed deep offense at the ruling party's stance on the matter, deeming it an insult to Shivaji Maharaj. Pawar emphasized the widespread belief among the public that corruption had permeated the project, adding to the insult. The MVA leaders' protest, a march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India, aimed to express their outrage and demand accountability. The statue, unveiled by PM Modi on December 4, 2023, to commemorate Navy Day, had collapsed shortly after its inauguration.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a BJP leader, responded to the opposition's protests by asserting that Shivaji Maharaj should not be a political issue. While acknowledging the tragedy of the statue's collapse and the need for a thorough investigation, Shinde condemned the opposition's attempts to politicize the incident. He also drew a comparison with the vandalism of a Shivaji Maharaj statue in Karnataka, criticizing the perpetrators of that act.
Source: 'There was arrogance': Uddhav Thackeray on PM's apology over Shivaji statue collapse