MVA leaders Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Supriya Sule and others along with hundreds of MVA workers started the protest march by laying wreaths at Hutatma Chowk, a memorial to those martyred in the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' agitation. The protests started after 11am and concluded at noon at the Gateway of India.
During the protest, Uddhav Thackeray joined others in hitting the posters of chief minister Shinde and his two deputies — Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar — with footwear. The protestors wanted to march towards Gateway of India, but the police denied them the permission.
Referring to the apology tendered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the statue collapse, Uddhav Thackeray said that the PM’s apology cannot be accepted and the “sin” cannot be forgiven.
In a clear indication that the MVA will keep the issue alive till the Assembly election, which is yet to be announced, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said, “"For what was the PM apologising? 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.”
Speaking at the protest march, NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, “The collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg is an example of corruption. It is an insult to all Shiv premi (people who love Shivaji).”
State Congress president Nana Patole also said that the opposition had sought forgiveness from Shivaji Maharaj for allowing such a “Shiv drohi” (anti-Shivaji) government to come to power. “We have taken a pledge to never let it happen again” he said.
Slamming the opposition for using Shivaji Maharaj’s name for doing politics, chief minister Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray acts like Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. “It was a painful incident for us. Shivaji Maharaj cannot be a political issue for us. This is a matter of identity and faith for us. The incident that happened was unfortunate. Doing politics on it is also unfortunate and the opposition is doing it,” the CM said.
While the Opposition MVA protested in Mumbai, the BJP staged protests across Maharashtra against the MVA for allegedly politicising the incident.
The statue built at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district was unveiled by PM Modi on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day. It collapsed on August 26, which has led to a blame game between the Opposition and government.
Meanwhile, Maratha quota activist Majon Jarange visited Rajkot fort. He alleged that both the opposition and the Mahayuti government were doing politics in the name of Shivaji. “There should be no politics over it, both the opposition and the government. The government should conduct a detailed probe into the matter. The contractors should not be spared,” he said.
