Amid the ongoing row over the recent collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Malvan, Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar tendered a public apology on Wednesday. He said that whoever was found guilty in the matter will have to face adequate consequences.
During the Jan Sanman Yatra, Pawar said, "I am sorry to the 13 crore people of Maharashtra. The incident of fall of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue is very disturbing. A proper inquiry should be done. Whosoever found guilty that senior or junior officials or contractor must be punished. The blacklisting of the contractor must be done as well.
Meanwhile, BJP Mumbai President Ashish Shelar has also sent an apology from the state government over the fall of the statue, terming it an extremely sad and painful incident.
"Even though the government has termed this as an accident, as a dedicated worker for Chhatrapati Shivaji, I am very personally sorry for what happened. I will continue apologizing today. Whoever will be found at fault after a proper investigation will be punished, and the government will not spare anybody, " Shelar said.
Shelar further lambasted opposition parties, accusing them of political mileage out of the situation. He said, "Those who are now raising a din over the falling of the statue had never commented during or after its installation. They never spoke to the government about any deficiency and never came to the spot to offer their obeisance to the leader. But when the incident happened, they ran to the spot for political benefits."
He further attacked Uddhav Thackeray, saying he was behaving like a political opportunist. "Thackeray's actions resemble that of a political opportunist, who waits for such incidents to happen. This is akin to Thackeray's 'Aurangzebi fan club' behavior. The very people who are protesting the collapse of the statue are the ones who, some time back, asked for proof from Maharaj's heirs and the ones who insulted Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje by denying him a Rajya Sabha seat. This is their stand-disrespecting Maharashtra's symbols and pride," Shelar alleged.
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