Shivaji Statue Collapse: RJD's Manoj Jha Reminds PM Modi Of 'Act Of Fraud' Remark On 2016 Kolkata Bridge Crash

Despite Prime Minister Modi's apology, the political controversy over the collapse of Shivaji's statue continues. RJD leader Jha accused the government of an "act of fraud" over the collapse.

The political wrangling that began with the collapse of King Shivaji's statue within eight months after it was unveiled in Maharashtra doesn't seem to be ending, even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'apology'. Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti government in the state, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha said the falling of the statue was not an 'act of God', but an 'act of fraud.

"I will use the words of PM Modi himself. In Kolkata or (West) Bengal, he once said on the incident of some bridge or flyover collapse that this is not an 'act of God', this is an 'act of fraud'. The collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue is also an 'act of fraud'," Jha told news agency ANI. 

In 2016, Attacking the West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee over the Vivekanda Road flyover collapse, PM Modi said the incident was an “act of fraud”.

Earlier, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole also targeted the government over the incident and said that simply apologising for the statue collapse will not suffice as the episode has "hurt the pride of Maharashtra".

He made the remarks on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and "those hurt by the collapse" of the warrior king's statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district. Speaking in Palghar, PM Modi had said, "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity." 

The statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district's Malvan tehsil, which fell on August 26, was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day.

Reacting to PM Modi's statement, Patole, as quoted by PTI, said, "What made him (PM) apologise? It means he has acknowledged that he had made a mistake. When the statue was ready, as a prime minister, he or his team should have checked whether the statue was alright, whether the foundation was strong and whether the certificate from the cultural director was sought or not." 

"The issue cannot be addressed with just a simple apology. Be it the PM, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, they have hurt the pride of Maharashtra. They should step down from power or people of the state will oust them," he said.

Claiming that the statue was hastily installed by the state government for unveiling by the PM, the Congress leader alleged the work was entrusted to an inexperienced individual and instructions given by the cultural department regarding the statue were ignored, resulting in substandard work and its collapse.

Responding to Shinde and Fadnavis's appeal that the opposition should not politicise the statue issue, Patole alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently insulted Shivaji Maharaj and used his name just to get votes.