Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar extended an apology to the people of Maharashtra on Wednesday following the incident of the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort earlier this month.
The Deputy CM also assured strict punishment for those responsible adding that an investigation is underway.
"I apologise to 13 crore people of Maharashtra for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue Collapse," Pawar said while addressing the "Jan Sanman Yatra" at Ahmedpur assembly constituency in Marathwada region on Wednesday.
"Contractors found guilty in the incident will be blacklisted. As a Deputy CM of the state, I promise that such incidents will not happen ever again in the state," he added.
Senior leader and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) State President Sunil Tatkare and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister, Sanjay Bansode also attended the event.
A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state's Sindhudurg district collapsed on Monday afternoon. The Shivaji statue was inaugurated in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said that the "statue fell and was damaged due to strong winds." Following the incident, the opposition targeted the state government demanding accountability.
Prahar Janshakti Paksh leader Bacchu Kadu said that the government is not connected to the ideology of Shivaji Maharaj. Swarajya's Sambhaji Chhatrapati dubbed it a sad incident and said that he had written to the Prime Minister that the statue was not up to the mark.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that it is unimaginable that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also be a subject of the BJP's corruption.
"Two days ago people saw how the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell and what kind of statements people are making. Rajya Bhavan is on the seashore but even the Governor's hat never flew and they say that the statue of Shivaji Maharaj fell due to strong winds, how is this possible?," Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said.
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole also alleged that the government both at the Centre and the state, knew nothing except corruption.
—ANI