As opposition and ruling parties continue to clash over the Shivaji statue collapse issue, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has taken on the role of a conciliator. Pawar sought an apology from the 13 crore citizens of Maharashtra for the incident involving the collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue. He apologized during his Jansamvad Yatra in Latur and assured the public that strict action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.
“The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell due to the wind. However, action will be taken against those responsible for this incident. As the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, I publicly apologize to the thirteen crore people of the state. Strict action will be taken against all those at fault,” said Ajit Pawar, offering an apology on behalf of Maharashtra for the statue incident.
गेल्यावर्षी नौदल दिनाचे औचित्य साधून महाराष्ट्राचे आराध्य दैवत छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराजांचा पूर्णाकृती पुतळा मालवणच्या राजकोट किल्ल्यावर उभारण्यात आला होता. महाराजांचा तो पुतळा कोसळल्याची घटना महाराष्ट्रातील तमाम शिवप्रेमींप्रमाणे माझ्यासाठी देखील अतिशय क्लेशदायक आहे. मी शासनाचा भाग… pic.twitter.com/4hfI2yFPpe
— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) August 28, 2024
He also stated that the work on this statue should have been done properly and emphasized that all those involved in nation-building should be held to high standards. “The thoughts of those who have contributed to nation-building continue to inspire us. We will not spare those who are at fault. I promise today that we will work to ensure such mistakes do not happen again,” added Pawar.
Following the incident where the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell, opposition party leaders in the state adopted an aggressive stance and staged protests. Senior leaders from all three parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition arrived at the site where the statue fell. However, before their arrival, BJP leader and Member of Parliament Narayan Rane and his son were already present at the location.
Consequently, when Aaditya Thackeray’s convoy arrived, a clash ensued between Rane’s supporters and Thackeray’s supporters at the fort. While a confrontation was taking place in Malvan between the supporters of Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders and the Rane father-son duo, State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar apologized to the 13 crore people of the state for the statue incident.
