The state’s politics has been shaken after the 35-foot-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government over the incident. Thackeray alleged that corruption is at its peak in the state’s Mahayuti government and the result is that Shivaji Maharaj’s statue fell. He has announced a protest march on behalf of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Mumbai on September 1 to protest against this incident.
Reacting to the incident, Uddhav Thackeray strongly criticized Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar’s statement in which he said that something good could come out of the fall of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue. Thackeray termed it as the government’s insensitivity and shamelessness. He said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi will take out a massive protest march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in South Mumbai on September 1.
Uddhav Thackeray made this statement during a press conference in the presence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and Congress’ Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole. He said, “To say that Shivaji Maharaj’s statue fell in Malvan fort due to wind is the height of shamelessness of the government. MVA’s morcha in Malvan today against this incident will expose those who betrayed Shivaji Maharaj.”
It is noteworthy that the 35 feet high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the 17th century Maratha Empire, fell at Rajkot Fort located in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Monday at around 1 pm. This statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 last year.