Shivaji Statue Collapse: MVA Holds ‘Jode Maro’ Protest In Mumbai

In Mumbai on Sunday, protests are clashing as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance plans a march from Hutatma Chowk to Gateway of India. The demonstration is in response to the recent collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan, Sindhudurg district.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a key member of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, will hold a counter-protest against what they see as the politicization of the Shivaji statue collapse issue.

Meanwhile, leaders and supporters from the MVA alliance—Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)—have begun gathering at Hutatma Chowk for their rally, titled ‘Jode Maro Andolan’ (Hit Them with Shoes Protest), despite police denying permission for the march.

The Aghadi had previously declared that the rally would proceed regardless of the denied permission, which they sought merely as a formality. Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha member Arvind Sawant emphasized that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is revered as a divine figure, and the statue’s collapse signifies a blow to their devotion, honor, and self-respect.

Sawant criticized the situation, saying, “We are being obstructed by our own police in Maharashtra. I’ve never seen police so ‘helpless.’ The Prime Minister’s apology is political and timed strategically. He consistently makes political statements,” said Sawant.

The statue, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day last December, led to his recent apology during an event in Palghar on Friday.