Mumbai (Maharashtra), August 30: Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra State Assembly, criticized both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday regarding the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Malvan.
Wadettiwar remarked on the Prime Minister's visit to Maharashtra, stating, "The Prime Minister inaugurated the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue eight months ago, and now it has completely collapsed. As the PM visits Maharashtra, Congress workers demanding an apology for this collapse are being arrested."
He also denounced the state government's actions against Congress leaders in Mumbai, questioning the legitimacy of such arrests. "What is wrong with protesting for an apology? Is this democracy? Does this government follow constitutional principles? Expressing our opinions publicly should not be an issue. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj represents Maharashtra’s pride and honor," he added.
Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister announced that the state government is expediting efforts to rebuild the statue and has formed two committees to investigate the collapse. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also visited the Malvan site where the statue fell on August 26.
Ajit Pawar stated on social media, "The recent incident involving the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Malvan was unfortunate. I visited the site to assess the situation and inspected the fort. Shivaji Maharaj symbolizes our self-respect and identity."
The statue was inaugurated on December 4 last year as part of the Navy Day celebrations in Sindhudurg, aimed at honoring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's contributions to maritime defense and security.
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