Maharashtra Deputy CM Apologises After Shivaji Statue Collapse Incident

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar apologised publicly on Wednesday after the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, installed last year, collapsed.

The incident has caused widespread concern and criticism throughout the state due to the historical and cultural importance of the Maratha warrior king. "Shivaji Maharaj is our deity, I apologise to 13 crore people of Maharashtra for the collapse of his statue," Ajit Pawar stated.

Amidst the political uproar in Maharashtra over the recent collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has sharply criticized the Mahayuti government. He announced a protest march by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Mumbai on September 1.

The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 last year, collapsed on Monday.

Thackeray condemned the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis led government, accusing them of escalating corruption and mishandling state affairs. "The state is plagued by increasing corruption and violence against women," Thackeray said. "The leaders of all three parties have been discussing these issues. The recent collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue and the subsequent statements are indicative of their failures."

He criticised claims that the statue fell due to wind, calling it a "shameless" excuse. Thackeray also rebuked Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar's remark that something positive might emerge from the statue's collapse. "Even the Governor's hat didn't move despite being on the seashore, so how could a statue fall due to strong winds?" Thackeray questioned.

Earlier, clashes broke out between Shiv Sena (UBT) workers and supporters of BJP leader Narayan Rane at the site of the incident.