PM apologises for collapse of Shivaji statue in Maharashtra: ‘A deity for us’

Inaugurated by Modi on Navy Day on December 4 last year, the 35-ft Shivaji statue collapsed on August 26, leaving the state government red-faced.

The collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has sparked a war of words between ruling and Opposition parties in poll-bound Maharashtra. Initially, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the statue collapsed due to heavy winds along the shore. And Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the statue was built by the Navy, not the state government.

With the initial response not going down well with the BJP’s central leadership, 48 hours later, Shinde said he would not mind “apologising a 1,000 times” for the incident.

Addressing the public gathering at Palghar after launching the `76,000-crore Vadhvan Port project, Modi said Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy has been ignored for decades as the warrior king recognised the importance of trade through sea routes and strengthened it. Stating that the project had remained on paper for 60 years, Modi said that when Fadnavis became the chief minister in 2014, he expedited the project. “It was cleared in 2016 and in 2020, the process was set rolling,” he said.

Set to be operational by 2030, the Vadhvan Port will ease the burden on the Jawaharlal Nehru Port. Located around 150 km from Mumbai, the port will have a capacity of 300 mta with nine container terminals. The port will provide a fillip to India’s connectivity with Russia and Central Asia through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).