Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati has called for a positive outlook towards matters related to historical figures, including kings, saints, and gurus from all communities and religions. However, she warned against using such events for “political selfishness,” which she deemed inappropriate.
Mayawati’s comments came in the wake of the collapse of a statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on August 26 in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), she criticised the political overtones surrounding the incident, emphasising that the installation and naming of statues should be driven by respect, not hidden agendas. “Very unfortunate,” she remarked.
Call for accountability, not politics
The BSP chief stressed that in any state, incidents like these should be met with strict accountability. “If a statue falls, strict action should be taken against the concerned officials, and no politics should be done under its guise,” she said, adding that this would be the best course of action.
The statue of Shivaji, unveiled eight months ago by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Sindhudurg, became a flashpoint for political controversy, especially with opposition parties criticising the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Shinde attributed the collapse to “strong winds.”
Arrest of sculptor sparks further debate
Further fueling the controversy, on Wednesday, the contractor responsible for the statue, Jaydeep Apte, was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district in connection with the incident. This arrest comes amid increasing political tensions in Maharashtra ahead of the state assembly elections.
With inputs from PTI