Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his apology regarding the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg. Thackeray criticized the Prime Minister’s apology as “smacking of arrogance” and vowed that the people of Maharashtra would never forgive the insult to the revered Maratha warrior king.
Thackeray, along with other senior leaders of the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led a massive rally from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in South Mumbai on Sunday. The protest was a response to the collapse of the Shivaji statue, which had been unveiled by PM Modi on December 4, 2023, during Navy Day celebrations.
Addressing a large gathering at the Gateway of India, where the march concluded, Thackeray expressed his outrage at the incident. “Did you notice the arrogance in Prime Minister Modi’s apology? It smacked of arrogance. One deputy chief minister was smiling,” he remarked. The former Chief Minister added, “The mistake of the collapse cannot be forgiven. We have all gathered here to demand ‘BJP get out of India.'”
The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which had stood at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, fell on August 26, raising concerns and sparking widespread criticism. On Friday, PM Modi issued an apology, stating, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologize to my deity.”
At the rally, Thackeray also targeted the BJP-ruled governments, referencing alleged leakages in Ayodhya’s Ram Temple and the new Parliament complex to question PM Modi’s “guarantees.” He accused the government of corruption and stated, “For what was the PM apologizing? For the statue he inaugurated eight months ago? For the corruption involved? The MVA cadre must work together to defeat the forces that have insulted Shivaji Maharaj. The collapse of the statue is an insult to the soul of Maharashtra.”
The protest, named the ‘jode maro andolan’ (hitting with slippers), saw Thackeray, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress leaders, symbolically strike a poster featuring Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar with footwear. The rally was attended by prominent opposition figures, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole.
Sharad Pawar denounced the collapse of the statue as an example of corruption and an insult to the followers of Shivaji Maharaj. Nana Patole further criticized the Mahayuti government led by Eknath Shinde, stating that the opposition had already sought forgiveness from Shivaji Maharaj for allowing such a “Shiv drohi” (traitor to Shivaji) government to rise to power. He suggested that PM Modi’s apology was politically motivated, with an eye on the upcoming state elections.
The rally underscored the growing tensions in Maharashtra as opposition leaders united in their call for accountability and justice in the wake of the statue collapse.
