Maharashtra: BJP ally NCP stages protests over Shivaji's statue collapse
What's the story
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has called for a silent protest on Thursday, following the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The statue, erected by the Navy at Rajkot Fort in Malvan and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, fell just eight months after its installation.
NCP President Sunil Tatkare termed this incident as an unforgivable mistake and announced a statewide rally from 11:00am to 12:00pm in front of other statues of the Maratha warrior.
Emotional response
NCP president expresses grief over statue's collapse
"We will hold a silent protest in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. We will demand that strict action be taken against whoever is guilty in this case," he said in a statement.
The 35-foot tall Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, located in Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday.
Opposition parties have blamed the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde, accusing it of neglecting the quality of work during its construction.
Call for justice
MVA rally on September 1
Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance have also announced a protest march for September 1.
The leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, will march from Hutatma Chowk to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue near the Gateway of India in Mumbai at 11:00am.
Accusations
Probes and restoration efforts underway
The Indian Navy has initiated an investigation into the incident and pledged to restore the statue.
The Congress party has questioned PM Modi about the rushed and allegedly low-quality construction of this significant historical figure's statue.
Meanwhile, Shinde attributed the collapse to damage from strong winds, promising a thorough investigation into why it fell.
He also assured that the Maharashtra government would reinstall Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at its original location.