When the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Sindhudurg fort fell, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to apologise to the masses. Calling the Maratha ruler, “a revered deity”, he wrote on social media platform X, that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for him. He wrote in a post, “I bow my head and apologise to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.” Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he wrote, “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. They are not ready to apologize, they are ready to go to the courts and fight.”
Slugfest Over Shivaji Statue
But it was too late. The damage was already done, the politics over the statue was kick-started and other parties too came out hitting the ruling combination of Maharashtra, which will soon go to polls. The slugfest over the fall of the statue was not shocking considering the forthcoming state assembly elections and the narrative that has been created around the statue of the 17th-century warrior, who led an insurgency against Mughals.
Statue Politics, Narrative, Cult Built Around It
When a narrative is created around an icon, general masses rally around him and a political base is consolidated or a cult is created around him, political parties of different characters reap rich dividends. But it may prove counter-productive as well. When the cult is violated or the narrative is disturbed, the people or the parties that have built the narrative or the cult suffer the most.
MVA Bays For Eknath Shinde’s Blood
Taking the initiative over the issue and upping the ante before the Maharashtra Assembly Election, the Opposition alliance Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to resign. While condemning the fall of the statue, the chief minister came out with a bizarre explanation. Blaming it on the wind, Shinde, said, “The district collector has told me that there was a high-speed wind of 45 km/hr when the statue fell.”
Eknath Shinde’s Ridiculous Excuse
He was ridiculed for his comment because a wind speed of 45 km/hr wind is not considered high speed in the Konkan region.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came out with a more bizarre excuse as he said the statue fell because the artist and Navy could not anticipate the speed and the saltiness of winds in the coastal area.
Congress Hits Back
Hitting back, Congress leader Satej Patil said he expected better answers from Devendra Fadnavis. He advised him to not undermine the Navy for his faults. Defending the Navy, he said that he is confident of the Navy’s work quality and it is the state government that has messed up things.
Sensing the opportunity to reap the political dividends as the Maharashtra Assembly election is around the corner, the Opposition MVA came down with hammer and tongs. Its leaders made controversial statements, the Opposition MVA sensed the political opportunity and gave a call for a ‘Malwan Bandh’ on August 28. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Jayant Patil led the rally in Malwan.
PM Modi Inaugurates World’s Tallest Statue
PM Narendra Modi should be given the credit for adding a new dimension to statue politics and creating a narrative around a figure of historical importance. He inaugurated the 597-foot-tall statue of Sardar Vallavbhai Patel on October 31, 2018, his 143rd birthday anniversary. An estimated amount of Rs 3,000 crore was spent on the construction of the statue.
Mayawati Inaugurates Her Statue
Former UP Chief Minister Mayawati has the distinction of inaugurating her statue. She also spent hundreds of crores of rupees on the construction of statues of Kansiram and ‘Dalit Prerna Sthal’ at many places. Congress has been accused of spending hundreds of crores of rupees in constructing the statues and memorials of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Statue politics is nothing new in India, the only difference this time is that the controversy has erupted just before the Maharashtra Assembly Election. It is most likely to soar.
