Shivaji Statue Collapse: INDIA's "Hit With Footwear" Protest In Mumbai

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has staged a protest in Mumbai today against the Eknath Shinde-led government over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg district. Top leaders of the INDIA bloc in Maharashtra including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, state Congress president Nana Patole and NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, took part in the protest march that started at Hutatma Chowk and reached Shivaji statue at the Gateway of India.

Opposition party workers joined the protest, named "Chappal Jode Maaro Yatra” (hit with footwear), carrying massive slippers. A huge number of police personnel of security forces have gathered at the Gateway of India. The monument has also been shut for tourists, citing law and order. 

Addressing a gathering Thackeray drew a parallel between the statue's collapse and water dripping into the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the new Parliament complex. Tearing into the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra over the collapse of a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Thackeray claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology on the statue collapse smacked of arrogance and added that the people of the state had rejected it.

The collapse of the Shivaji statue, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just 8 months back, has sparked a massive political row in Maharashtra. The project was handled by the Navy in coordination with the state government. Police have arrested the structural consultant for the project and its contractor. They have been charged under sections relating to attempt to murder, culpable homicide, and acts endangering the life and safety of others.

The Prime Minister has apologised to the followers of Shivaji for the collapse of the statue. The BJP and its ally, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, have slammed the Opposition's protest and accused them of politicising the issue even after the Prime Minister's apology. The ruling alliance has planned a march of its own to counter the Opposition's agitation.