Removal of Shivaji statue in Belgaum triggers row
The removal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Belgaum district in Karnataka has triggered an uproar in Maharashtra, with the Shiv Sena and NCP condemning the BJP-led Yediyurappa government for the incident. The saffron party however has alleged that local Congress MLA was responsible for the removal of the statue.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that the Maharashtra government should take opposition parties into confidence on this issue. All parties should come together to protest against the incident under the leadership of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. We are ready to protest in Belgaum, but are the opposition willing to do so, he asked.
“Few days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj while performing the bhoomi pujan of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. But his own party’s government has removed Maharaj’s statue in Karnataka,” he added.
NCP state chief Jayant Patil too slammed the BJP saying its affection for Chhatrapati Shivaji is limited only to votes. Instead they always have hatred towards Maharaj, he said.
Taking cognisance of the incident, the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has shot off a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa, seeking reinstatement of the statue of the legendary Maratha warrior king. State minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the minister in-charge for coordination on Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue, had said that the statue had been installed with the permission of the gram panchayat in Mangutti village, but the administration removed it deliberately.
Shiv Sena workers also held protests across the state over the issue in Belgaum.