Shivaji Maharaj's statue collapse a blot on state, shows Mahayuti govt's corruption: Prithviraj

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday said the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue was a blot on Maharashtra and shows the corrupt practices of the government.

Addressing a press conference here after a meeting of the Congress, the former chief minister also accused the Mahayuti government of pushing Maharashtra towards "complete bankruptcy", and claimed that the per capita income of the state was steadily declining.

During his visit to Palghar on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologised to Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of the warrior king's statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district. The 35-foot structure, which fell on August 26, was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day.

Speaking about PM Modi's apology, Chavan said, "It was a political and conditional apology. The fall of the statue is a clear case of corruption. The statue was supposed to be made of bronze, but a 3D-printed statue was used instead and it was fixed with nuts and bolts. The artist was inexperienced. This collapse incident is a blot on the reputation of the state." "Whatever may be the background of the culprits, these people should be punished for their deeds," he said.

On the financial condition of the state, he criticised the state government of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.

"The state is facing complete bankruptcy. Over the past decade, its per capita income has declined steadily," he claimed.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous government led by Uddhav Thackeray could not address this issue effectively.

"The present state finance minister also acknowledged a substantial decrease in the state's per capita income during the recent session of the state legislature," he said.

"Ever since the BJP came to power a decade ago, it has negatively impacted the growth in agriculture and industrial sectors in the state. These rulers have wasted the past 10 years on petty politics," he said.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held in October-November this year.

Former Rajya Sabha member Bhalchandra Mungekar, who was present at the press conference, said, "The state government should have struck a balance between the agriculture and industrial sectors while pushing for their growth. Unfortunately, agricultural growth has been completely neglected." Chavan further said the Congress was holding talks with some like-minded organisations in the state and seeking their input before finalising agenda an ahead of the state elections.

"We held our first meeting in Mumbai today. A similar meeting will also be held in Pune and Nagpur in the next few days so that more organisations can participate and provide their inputs. We will also discuss our concepts with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) before finalising the agenda," he said.

When asked whether the "Save Constitution" narrative highlighted by the INDIA bloc ahead of the Lok Sabha polls would continue, Chavan said, "Our concerns towards the BJP's plans to change the country's constitution are still relevant. At the time of the country's independence, RSS leaders had objected to the newly adopted Constitution and wondered about its necessity by pointing to books like Manusmriti. Our fight is against this mindset and it will continue."