Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: Raut seeks CM Shinde's resignation; alleges scam in construction

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg district, and alleged a scam in its construction.

He also claimed that even Aurangzeb and Mughals did not insult Shivaji Maharaj in such a manner.

The 35-foot statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed on Monday afternoon.

Talking to reporters, Raut blamed PM Modi, CM Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for the collapse of the statue of the Maratha empire founder, and alleged that it was installed with political intentions.

"We need the resignation of the chief minister for hurting the feelings of (the people of) Maharashtra. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Ravindra Chavan should be sacked. They did not even spare Shivaji Maharaj and indulged in corruption," the Sena (UBT) MP added.

The contract to build the statue was given to people close to the chief minister, he said, describing it as a serious issue and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is thinking seriously about it.

Referring to CM Shinde's statement that the statue fell as winds were blowing 45 km per hour, Raut said winds along the coast are bound to be gusty.

In 1933, social reformer Lokmanya Tilak's statue was installed at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai, but it still stands tall. In 1956 Pandit Nehru installed at the Pratapgad fort the statue of Shivaji Maharaj and it is still in the same condition, he added.

Police in Sindhudurg district have registered a case against the contractor and the structural consultant in connection with the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue.

The incident has caused embarrassment to the state government and invited criticism from the opposition parties.

A complaint was lodged by an assistant engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) at Malvan police station on Monday evening. As per the complainant, the artist and the consultant were responsible for the collapse of the statue, a police official said.