"Wrote a letter to PM Modi that it was not up to mark...": Sambhaji Chhatrapati on Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse

Sambhaji told ANI that the protocols that should have been considered were not taken care off by the concerned authorities.

"This is a very sad incident. When it was inaugurated on December 4, the Prime Minister had also come. On December 12, I wrote a letter to him that the statue that was erected was not up to the mark. And today after 7-8 months this happened. The protocols that should have been considered were not taken," he said.

"I request the government that whatever protocols are there, they should be maintained and an answer should also be given as to why they were not followed. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj belongs to everyone but for your political benefit, you inaugurated the statue before the Lok Sabha elections. This is not right," he added.

Speaking on the incident, Prahar Janshakti Paksh leader, Bacchu Kadu said that people only talk and not connecting to the ideology of Shivaji Maharaj is the reason.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj used to emphasise every minute detail. But now, some people only talk, they are not connected to ideology. This is the reason there is a problem," he said.

The 35-foot statue was inaugurated in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day.

Earlier, the local police filed an FIR against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil following the collapse under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray took on the BJP over the incident by linking it to Shivaji's pride.

In a statement, posted on X Thackeray said, "It is unimaginable that the statue of our deity, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also be a subject of the BJP's corruption."

Thackeray also slammed the BJP for allegedly blaming the Indian Navy.

"Here too, a favoured contractor friend. Here too, terrible quality of work. Here too, is an inauguration keeping in mind the elections, not the sentiment. And then, the usual trolls and shameless politicians trying to blame the Indian Navy," Thackeray added in the post. (ANI)