Day after Ajit Pawar’s apology, NCP holds silent protests over Shivaji statue collapse

The 35-foot statue at the Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg's Malvan tehsil collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after its unveiling by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meanwhile, the NCP staged “self-suffering silent protests” in every district of the state, calling for the installation of a more durable and larger statue of Shivaji Maharaj at the same site. (File)

Taking a stand different from its allies which accused the Opposition of playing politics over the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue collapse, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Thursday organised a silent protest over the issue.

This comes a day after Ajit Pawar, during a speech in Latur, issued a public apology to people over the statue collapse.

The 35-foot statue at the Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg’s Malvan tehsil collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after its unveiling by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In response, the Opposition MVA has announced a protest march in Mumbai on September 1.

Meanwhile, the NCP staged “self-suffering silent protests” in every district of the state, calling for the installation of a more durable and larger statue of Shivaji Maharaj at the same site.

“In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. The incident involving Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Malvan is both unfortunate and distressing. We are also protesting against it and demanding stringent action against the culprits by submitting memorandums to the authorities,” said NCP state unit chief and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare.

The NCP’s protests took place in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statues in Chembur and Juhu Chowpatty in Mumbai.

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Following these protests, the NCP submitted a memorandum to the district collector demanding strict action against those responsible for the statue’s collapse.

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