Maharashtra Dy CM Blasts MVA Protest Over Shivaji Maharaj Statue Collapse as Political; Security Tightened for Demonstration

Following the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) call for a protest march over the collapse of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticized the agitation as purely political. He accused both the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Congress party of lacking respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, citing past grievances including Nehru’s alleged disrespect in *The Discovery of India* and the demolition of a Shivaji statue by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Fadnavis challenged whether the Congress and MVA would apologize for these past actions.

In response, NCP General Secretary and MP Sunil Tatkare criticized the MVA for politicizing the incident. He noted that the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and both Deputy Chief Ministers had already apologized, making further political action inappropriate.

In the meantime, the Mumbai police have increased security in anticipation of the MVA’s protest march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India. The protest is in response to the collapse of a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district on August 26. The statue, which had been unveiled in December last year, fell down under unclear circumstances.

Chetan Patil, the structural consultant for the collapsed statue, was arrested in Kolhapur. An FIR has been lodged against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the state government is working urgently on reconstructing the statue and has set up two committees to investigate the collapse.