Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed Prime Ministe🍨r Narendra Modi's apology over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Maharashtra, saying that it is "nothing but another act of political desperation".
Hitting out at Modi over the collapse, Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the structure was made in hurried manner for the elections for the Prime Minister's "prachaar" (campaign).
Chaturvedi alleged that therജe was "corruption in the entire process", noting that proper clearances were not taken for the statue which was installed at the Rajkot fort in the Sindhudurg district and the govꦬernment was now blaming the Indian Navy for the collapse.
"T𒊎his apology is nothing but yet another act of political 🏅desperation," the Sena UBT leader said in her post on X.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi spoke at an event in Palghar and apolog♛ised to the Maratha warrior king for t♚he collapse.
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just✤ a name. Today I bow my head and apologise to my God Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Our values are different, we are not those people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar," the Pr✃ime Minister said.
He added that "they are not 🗹ready to apologise, they are ready to go to the court and fight".
Chatౠurvedi said that the PM's apology came after outrage from the public, after knowing that the opposition is demanding accountability and after knowing full well how enraged Maharashtra is. "The apology comes too late and is too little," the🌱 Sena UBT MP added.
The 35-foot-long statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was built by🐷 the Indian Navy, collapsed earlier this week. The statue was notably unveiled by PM Modi during Navy Day last year.
ཧExperts have said that rusted nuts and bolts were probably the reason behind the collapse, adding that it is really important to focus on the structure's "ankles" during the designing stage, as it is where the entire weight of a statue🌠 lies.
Police🌞 on Friday also made the first arrest in co⛄nnection with the case, taking structural consultant Chetan Patil into custody.
