Ajit Pawar's NCP holds state-wide silent protest over Shivaji statue collapse, CM Shinde too issues apology

Mumbai: A day after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tendered an apology for the collapse of the grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan, the NCP on Thursday undertook a state-wide silent protest.

Pawar, who is the NCP President and Sunil Tatkare, the state NCP President, are currently in Marathwada as part of the Jan Samman Yatra.

Tatkare has released a letter asking the district and village level units, sitting and former legislators and MPs, state office-bearers, chiefs of frontal organisations and party’s various cells to participate in the agitation.

"We will demand that strict action be taken against whoever is guilty in this case,” said Tatkare.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday (a day after Pawar's apology) asserted he would not hesitate to touch the feet of the warrior king 100 times and apologise for the incident if required.

Talking to reporters here, Shinde said the opposition has other issues to do politics on but Shivaji Maharaj, a revered figure in Maharashtra, should be kept out of it.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji is a patron deity of Maharashtra. I am ready to touch his feet 100 times and apologise (for the statue crash). I will not shy away from apologising. Our government functions keeping his (Shivaji's) ideals in mind," Shinde insisted.

The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha empire founder installed at Rajkot Fort premises collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a political storm in the state, which is due for polls in the next few months.

The state government has pointed out that the project was handled by the Indian Navy.

The Navy on Thursday said it conceptualised and steered the project of installing the Shivaji statue in coordination with the state government which provided funding for it. In a statement, the Navy said it remains committed to assisting in all measures to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office after Shinde held a late night meeting on Wednesday with ministers, top state and Navy officials said the government has set up a technical committee to probe reasons behind the collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue.

The panel will comprise engineers, IIT experts and Navy officials.

Shinde said two joint panels have been formed. One panel will ascertain the reasons behind the crash, while the other committee comprising experts, sculptors with experience of building Chhatrapati Shivaji statues, engineers and Navy officials will look into the reconstruction aspect.

"Our endeavour is to rebuild the statue," the CM maintained.

Shinde said the Navy has demanded that the area where the statue was installed by cordoned off for inspection and starting rebuilding work.

The Navy has said the statue was unveiled on December 4 as part of Navy Day celebrations, held for the first time in Sindhudurg district. The structure was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

In a related development, activists of the Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha outfit, stated a protest outside the house of Jaideep Apte, the sculptor who built the statue, in adjoining Thane city.

Protesters accused Apte of disrespecting Shivaji Maharaj, and their demonstration included blackening his house's door, posting a "Shivdrohi" label, and breaking eggs.

The NCP, a constituent of the Mahayuti government, staged state-wide protests demanding swift rebuilding of the statue.

Speaking in Nanded during Ajit Pawar's 'Jan Sanman Yatra', NCP's Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare said the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue was painful, and added his party decided to protest against the incident as everyone has the right to do so.

"In a democracy, everyone has a right to agitate. The incident in Malvan was unfortunate and painful. We are also agitating against it and demanding strong action against the culprits by submitting memorandums to the authorities," Tatkare maintained.

In Pune, the city unit of the NCP staged a protest near a statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Shivajinagar.

Speaking during the protest, NCP's city unit president Deepak Mankar urged the state government to reconstruct the statue as early as possible. "For us, Chhatrpati Shivaji Maharaj is a matter of pride and a symbol of our identity," he said.

In Thane, NCP spokesperson Anand Paranjape said those involved in the project, ranging from architects to government officials, must face strict action.

"Even though we (NCP) are in power, the incident has caused anger to us and hence this protest," Paranjape said.

In Latur city in central Maharashtra, activists of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) staged a protest against the statue collapse.

Opposition party workers gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk in Latur and held a demonstration against the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government. The protest was led by NCP (SP) Latur district president Sanjay Shete.

"This may be the first such instance in Maharashtra's history. In a desperate bid to gain votes before (Lok Sabha) elections, the government completed the statue work within just eight months. This hasty action has backfired on the Mahayuti alliance," Shete opined.

Opposition leaders have announced that on September 1, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will take out a protest march in Mumbai against the statue collapse.

(With PTI inputs)