Shivaji Statue Collapse: Opposition Holds ‘Hit With Footwear’ Protest In Mumbai

MVA leaders held a march from the iconic Hutatma Chowk to Gateway of India in south Mumbai to protest against the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district.

The Opposition slammed the Union and state governments for the collapse, with Uddhav Thackeray calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology as one "smacking of arrogance", while Sharad Pawar said the episode was an example of corruption, PTI reported.

On August 26, the statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil, some 480 kilometres from Mumbai. It was unveiled by PM Modi on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day.

Earlier, NCP (SP) supremo Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Thackeray, Congress state unit chief Nana Patole and the party's Mumbai head Varsha Gaikwad began the protest march by laying wreaths at Hutatma Chowk, a memorial to those martyred in the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' agitation.

Later, addressing a gathering at Gateway of India, where the protest march culminated, Thackeray said, "Did you notice the arrogance in the (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's) apology? It smacked of arrogance. One deputy chief minister was smiling."

Asserting that people of Maharashtra will never forgive the insult to the legendary warrior king, Thackeray cited the statue collapse, leakages in the Ram Temple and the new Parliament complex to mock Modi's "guarantees".

"For what was the PM apologising? For the statue he inaugurated eight months ago? For the corruption involved? The MVA cadre must work together to defeat the forces that have insulted Shivaji Maharaj. The collapse of the statue is an insult to the soul of Maharashtra," he asserted.

During his address in Palghar on Friday, Modi had said Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king but a deity.

Speaking at the protest march, Pawar said, "The collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg is an example of corruption. It is an insult to all Shiv premis (followers of the warrior king)."

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, much before the PM, the opposition had sought forgiveness from the emperor for allowing such a "Shiv drohi" (those betraying the principles of Chhatrapati Shivaji) government to come to power.

"We have taken a pledge to never let it happen again," he said in the backdrop of the upcoming assembly polls.

The PM's apology was with an eye on the state polls, Patole added.

Kolhapur Congress MP Shahu Chhatrapati, a descendant of the emperor, said the latter's dignity must be maintained at all cost.