17 September,2025 07:56 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondent
CM Fadnavis was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar since Tuesday night and attended the Marathwada Mukti Din programme. PIC/X
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Ambadas Danve on Wednesday questioned why Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis could not spare time to unveil the statue of Swami Ramanand Tirtha, a key figure of the Marathwada liberation movement, despite being in the city for an official programme, reported news agency PTI.
Danve claimed that more than half a dozen letters had been sent to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) requesting his presence for the unveiling ceremony, but there had been no positive response so far.
Swami Ramanand Tirtha (1903-1972), born Vyenkatesh Bhagvanrao Khedgikar, was at the forefront of the struggle for Marathwada's liberation from the rule of Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
According to the Swami Ramanand Teerth Research Institute, four letters have been written since February this year seeking CM Fadnavis' time for the statue's unveiling, reported PTI.
"But we did not get any reply from the CMO despite following all the protocols for seeking an appointment. As a result, we have paid tribute to the Swami by keeping his photo frame just below the statue," said institute secretary Sarang Takalkar.
An office-bearer of the institute said, "The work on this statue was completed around a year back in October 2024. It was pursued by the Swami Ramanand Teerth Research Institute and was made by the municipal corporation."
He added that a proposal for the statue was first sanctioned by the local civic body in 2017. After its time-frame expired, a fresh proposal was sent, which was immediately re-sanctioned.
"October 3 is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Swami Ramanand Tirtha, and we expect that his statue will be unveiled next month," he said.
CM Fadnavis was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar since Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, he attended the Marathwada Mukti Din programme in Siddharth Garden before travelling to Phulambri in the district and later to Beed.
September 17 marks the anniversary of Marathwada's integration with India and the annexation of Hyderabad state, then under the Nizam's rule, into the Indian Union.
In a post on X, Danve said, "It seems the government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are still unaware of Swami Ramanand Tirtha's remarkable contribution in liberating Nizam's land and making it a part of our soil! The statue of Swami Ramanand Tirtha, who was at the forefront of the Marathwada Liberation Struggle, has been awaiting inauguration by the CM since October 2024."
"More than half a dozen letters have been written to the CMO requesting his time. But it is regrettable that they did not even have 15 minutes for the unveiling of this statue," the Sena (UBT) leader added.
(With PTI inputs)
