On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed regret at the fall of the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.
“For me, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is more than simply a name; he is our icon. Speaking at a rally in Palghar, Maharashtra, PM Modi stated, “Today I bow and place my head at the feet of my beloved god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise for whatever happened in Sindhudurg a few days ago.”
On Monday, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that was unveiled by Prime Minister Modi on December 4, 2018, in honor of Navy Day, at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg district, fell. It was unveiled almost nine months prior.
The statue “erected by the Navy…fell and got damaged,” according to CM Eknath Shinde, who also pledged to restore it after calling the incident “unfortunate.”
The state administration came under heavy pressure from the opposition for allegedly not caring enough about the quality of the construction when the monument fell, sparking a tremendous political firestorm in the state.
Aaditya Thackeray, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), criticized the BJP government in power and expressed shock that even the monument to the renowned leader could be affected by alleged corruption within the party.
“It is unimaginable that the statue of our deity, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also be a subject of the BJP’s corruption,” Thackeray said in his piece.
The leader of the opposition went on to accuse the BJP of trying to place the responsibility on the Indian Navy.
In lieu of sincere sentiment, he brought attention to a trend of favoritism towards specific contractors, poor quality work, and inaugurations scheduled around elections.
The PWD portfolio holder and guardian minister for Sindhudurg, Ravindra Chavan, commented on the incident, saying, “A case has been filed against the proprietor of the firm M/s Artistry, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant Chetan Patil (both involved in statue work) in Sindhudurg.”
“The steel that was used to make the statue had begun to rust,” Chavan stated. The PWD had already written to the Navy, alerting them about the statue’s corrosion and requesting that they take the necessary action.”
The Navy added that it has sent a team to fix and restore the statue as soon as possible.