MUMBAI: Clashes broke out between opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and BJP supporters at Rajkot Fort where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapsed in Sindhudurg district. Ever since the incident, the Opposition has beem demanding the CM’s resignation. It decided to visit the site to protests against the Mahayuti government that was shrugging off its responsibility and putting the onus on the Indian Navy. When Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray along with his supporters arrived at the spot, former Union minister Nararan Rane, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP, too reached the place along with his son and BJP supporters.There was argument between Rane, his son and a woman journalist. Meanwhile, deputy CM Ajit Pawar apologised to the people for the collapse of the statue. The political battle has intensified over the collapse of the statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. While NCP chief Sharad Pawar has hit out at the Mahayuti government, CM Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis blamed the gusty winds for the statue’s collapse.Pawar attributed the incident to corruption in the state machinery, saying it has reached its peak under the BJP-led dispensation. The Opposition said the government did not spare even Shivaji Maharaj in its “commission raj.”The statue at Rajkot Fort was unveiled 10 months ago by PM Narendra Modi. While the BJP-led Mahayuti blamed the Indian Navy that had installed the statue, the Navy clarified that it had only installed it, and not built it.When Shinde and Fadnavis claimed that the collapse was due to strong winds, Pawar said the same weather conditions prevailed in other parts of the state, but nothing of the sort happened. Pawar buttressed his argument saying that the statue has stood strong at the Gateway of India for over 50 years, facing the vagaries of weather.Pawar rubbishes Shinde theory blaming the windWhen Shinde and Fadnavis claimed that the collapse was due to strong winds, Pawar claimed that the same weather conditions prevailed in other parts of the state, but nothing of the sort happened. Pawar further buttressed his argument saying that the statue of Shivaji Maharaj has stood strong at the Gateway of India for over 50 years, facing the vagaries of weather.
Source link
