Shivaji statue maker has links with RSS, alleges Congress leader Nana Patole

Mumbai: Amid the political storm in Maharashtra over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan, Congress leader Nana Patole on Thursday claimed that the sculptor who made it was close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The allegation drew a mocking reply from state cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar who said he had "heard" that the artist was, in fact, close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport, state Congress chief Patole said, "The artist Jaydeep Apte had no experience of making a statue of such a scale. Apte is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh." Responding to the claim, Mungantiwar, a BJP leader, said, "Someone told me that the artist is close to Rahul Gandhi. Need to verify this information.....There seems to be a new habit of making wild allegations." The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century founder of the Maratha empire collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it.

Sindhudurg police has registered an FIR against Apte and structural engineer Chetan Patil in connection with the incident.