Mumbai: Several leaders from the opposition coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Sunday organised a 'Joote Maro' (hit with footwear) march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai over the recent collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district. In response to the march, Mumbai police increased security in the area.
ALSO READ | Security Personnel Deployed In Mumbai Over MVA’s Protest
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Congress state president Nana Patole, and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad started the protest march by laying wreaths at Hutatma Chowk, a memorial dedicated to those who died in the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' movement.
VIDEO | Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray (@uddhavthackeray), Nationalist Congress Party-SP (NCP-SP) president Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks), Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole (@NANA_PATOLE), along with other leaders, participate in MVA’s protest in… pic.twitter.com/wmZxjoFxIC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2024
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a counter-protest in the Dadri area of Mumbai against the MVA, accusing them of politicising the issue.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: BJP does a counter-protest against MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) which is holding a protest march in Mumbai today, over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue collapse incident.Visuals of the BJP’s counter-protest in Dadar area of Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/kyo8A44PXo
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2024
The march led by MVA aims to express the discontent of Maharashtra’s residents over the collapse of the statue, which was unveiled by the Prime Minister just eight months ago, NCP (SP) leader Rajesh Tope and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu said. Prabhu, however, assured reporters that the protest was being conducted peacefully.
The protest march, which started shortly after 11 am, saw participation from Kolhapur Congress MP Shahu Chhatrapati, NCP (SP) Baramati MP Supriya Sule, and MLA Anil Deshmukh. A bust of the legendary warrior king was placed at Hutatma Chowk. Participants carried placards condemning the statue collapse and chanted slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led government.
VIDEO | MVA leaders and alliance party workers stage a protest in Mumbai over Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse incident in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/dv5TRARJn4) pic.twitter.com/PdQX3BHIDV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 1, 2024
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar joined the march for a portion of the route before continuing to the Gateway of India by vehicle, where the protest was set to conclude a couple of kilometres away.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reacting to the protest march, said on Sunday that the agitation is entirely political. He added that the MVA and Congress have never shown respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji.
“This agitation is completely political. Be it Maha Vikas Aghadi or the Congress party, they never respected Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Nehru ji insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in The Discovery of India. Will Congress and MVA apologise for it?” he said.
#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra: MVA to hold a protest march in Mumbai today, over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue collapse incident. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, “This agitation is completely political. Be it Maha Vikas Aghadi or Congress party, they never respected… pic.twitter.com/TVHr8tplYY
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2024
Further, the Deputy CM added, “In Madhya Pradesh, the then CM Kamal Nath demolished the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with a bulldozer. Even years after independence, the same Congress taught us that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj looted Surat. He never looted Surat. The people of Surat erected a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj there. Will Congress apologise for it?”
Shivaji Statue Collapse Row
A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district collapsed on August 26. The statue was unveiled on December 4 last year during Navy Day celebrations, which were held in Sindhudurg for the first time.
Chetan Patil, the structural consultant for the collapsed statue was arrested in Kolhapur. An FIR was filed under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to Sindhudurg Police.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced on Thursday that the state government is expediting efforts to reconstruct the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. Two committees have been established, one of which will investigate the statue's collapse in Malvan, he said.
Notably, a joint technical committee, led by the Indian Navy and including representatives from the Maharashtra Government and technical experts, is being formed to examine the damage to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, which was affected by unusual weather conditions, according to an official release from the Indian Navy.
(With inputs from Agencies)