Shivaji statue row: Maharashtra sees waves of protests ahead of Amit Shah's visit

Police personnel stand guard as devotees stage a protest against Karnataka state government at Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, after some miscreants vandalised a statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru. Credit: PTI Photo

Maharashtra witnessed waves of protests on Sunday in the wake of the alleged desecration of the statue of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bengaluru and the statement of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

A group of Shiv Sainiks gathered at the historic Shivaji Park at Dadar here and engaged in sloganeering against the BJP and the Chief Minister of the neighbouring state.

There were protests in several other places in Mumbai and other districts of the state including Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara.

The protests happened on a day when Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah visited Pune.

Also Read | Shivaji Maharaj's descendants express anguish over desecration of statue in Bengaluru

A group of local Shiv Sena leaders are expected to hand over a memorandum to Shah on the issue.

Meanwhile, at the Pune Municipal Corporation, Shah laid the foundation of a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, dedicated a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, and paid tributes at the statue of a social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.

“Shivaji Maharaj gave a ray of hope during dark times…he laid the foundation of ‘Hindavi-swaraj’,” Shah said, adding that it was Shivaji Maharaj who gave the clarion call of “Swadesh, swaraj and swadharma” - which became the mission during the freedom movement.

Also Read | Bengaluru cops arrest seven in Shivaji statue desecration case

In Shivaji Park, the protest was led by Sena Sena legislators Sada Sarvankar and Manisha Kayande near the statue of the Maratha warrior king at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

Talking to reporters, Sarvankar claimed that the BJP seeks votes in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra and insults the warrior king in Karnataka.

A day earlier, Shiv Sainiks protested outside the BJP office in Mumbai.

Also Read | NCP workers protest against Karnataka CM, perform milk 'abhishek' on Chhatrapati Shivaji's statues in Thane

“Prime Minister Modi should direct the Karnataka government to take action in the matter. This incident cannot be taken lightly. For several years, Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka are facing atrocities. Now, the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is desecrated," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said on Saturday.

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi allies - Shiv Sena, BJP and Congress - as well as opposition BJP, have condemned the incident.

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