“Poor reflection of Govt’s commitment to serious results”: Shashi Tharoor on Shivaji statue collapse

New Delhi [India], August 30 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged that the collapse of the Shivaji statue in Maharashtra is a “poor reflection of the government’s commitment to serious results.”

“The collapse of the statue symbolises that many things are wrong with the govt. They seem to be inaugurating things in unseemly haste. The airport canopy collapsed. statues collapsed, and bridges collapsed. This is a poor reflection of the government’s commitment to serious results,” Tharoor said.

He further alleged corruption and said, “It also suggests, there has been a level of corruption involved in many of these projects.”

A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district collapsed on August 26.

Refering to the collapse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said he bow his head and apologise to the people of Maharashtra who were hurt by the incident.

“Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them. Our values are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity,” PM Modi said while addressing an event in Palghar.

“Our culture is different. We do not abuse and disrespect the great sons of Mother India, the brave hearts of this land. They abused Veer Savarkar. Despite doing this, they are not willing to apologise, they are not willing to regret it. The people of Maharashtra have understood their true intentions,” he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the state government is taking decisions on a war footing for the reconstruction of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and two committees have been formed including that to investigate the collapse of the statue in the Malvan area of the state.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had also extended an apology to the people of Maharashtra following the collapse. He further said the government is committed to ensuring that a grand and divine memorial for the Maharaja is rebuilt.