After Ajit Pawar's Apology, Comes NCP's Protest Over Shivaji Statue Collapse Ahead Of Maharashtra Polls

Condemning the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue collapse incident, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has called for a silent protest seeking action.

Maharashtra News: In signs of infighting within the ruling alliance Mahayuti in Maharashtra ahead of Assembly elections, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction has condemned the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and called for a silent protest seeking action.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra comprise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. 

On the other hand, Public Works Department (PWD) officials have claimed that the contract to build Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue was given to sculptor Jaideep Apte, and the Indian Navy was in a hurry to complete the statue.

This comes after Maharashtra Deputy CM Pawar on Wednesday apologised to the people of the state for the statue collapse amid an outrage. He vowed to punish the guilty.

In a statement, state NCP president Sunil Tatkare said that it is very painful and heart-wrenching that the statue of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj erected at the Rajkot fort in Malvan has crashed.

Terming the statue collapse “an unforgivable mistake,” Tatkare said that to protest this tragedy and to take precautions to prevent such accidents from happening in the future, the NCP has organised a rally across the state on Thursday.

"It is very painful and heart-wrenching that the statue of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj erected at the Rajkot fort in Malvan has crashed. It is shocking that this statue fell in just eight months (after it was inaugurated)," Sunil Tatkare said, as quoted by NDTV.

"It cannot be denied that an unforgivable mistake was made. In order to protest this tragedy and to take precautions to prevent such accidents from happening in the future, the Nationalist Congress Party has organised a rally across the state on Thursday. On 29 August 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, we will hold a silent protest in front of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. We will demand that strict action be taken against whoever is guilty in this case," he added.

NCP’s unilateral decision to hold a sit-in silent protest across Maharashtra comes at a time when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is stepping up attacks against the MahaYuti Government, accusing it of corruption for the fall of the statue.

In a letter, Tatkare asked the district and village level units, sitting and former legislators and MPs, state office-bearers, chiefs of frontal organisations, and the party's various cells to participate in the agitation, as reported by news agency IANS. He has asked the party functionaries to submit the party’s representation to the tehsildar at the tehsil level and to the district collector at the district level after the sit-in silent protest.

'Navy Was In Great Hurry’

Speaking on the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue collapse, Public Works Department (PWD) officials said that the contract to build the statue was given to sculptor Jaideep Apte by the Navy. According to an official, the Navy was in a great hurry to complete the statue.

“The Navy was in a great hurry to complete the statue before the December 4 Indian Navy Day function at Malvan,” Hindustan Times quoted an official as saying. “We were also told that the sculptor and structural consultant had guaranteed a 200-year life for the statue,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT), Narayan Rane Supporters Clash 

Shiv Sena (UBT) workers and BJP Lok Sabha MP Narayan Rane's supporters clashed at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district where the statue collapsed on August 26, while another deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis called the crash tragic and appealed for avoiding politics over it.

While addressing a gathering during his 'Jan Sanman Yatra' in Latur district in central Maharashtra, Pawar said, “Be it officials or contractors, action will be taken against those guilty,” as quoted by PTI. “Shivaji Maharaj is our deity. I apologise to the 13 crore people of Maharashtra for the collapse of his statue,” he said.

The collapse of the 35-foot statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder within a year (of installation) is shocking, he added.

An FIR has been registered against the contractor of the statue, which was unveiled nearly nine months ago by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The FIR follows a complaint by the state Public Works Department (PWD), which claims the statue's construction work was of poor quality.

PWD executive engineer Ajaykumar Sarvagod said that the Navy hastened to complete the statue before the inauguration by PM Narendra Modi. “It was made in parts and brought to the spot and welded,” he said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“The sculptor and foundation expert were welding the statue at the spot for nearly two months. In the last eight days, naval officials took over the welding work and kept others out of the site. This will all come out in the investigation,” he said.