Shiv sena chief's attack on mid-sea Shivaji memorial sends shock waves across state politics, but popular opinion against Rs 350-cr gimmick finds its strongest voice
Shiv sena chief's attack on mid-sea Shivaji memorial sends shock waves across state politics, but popular opinion against Rs 350-cr gimmick finds its strongest voice
He may be 83, but Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray certainly hasn't lost any of his bite. On Sunday, Thackeray, in an interview to the party mouthpiece, Saamna, said the idea of building a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was completely foolish and there was no need for a memorial "Murkhapana aahe to.
Murkhapana!"
He went on to question the need for a memorial, as there was already a statue of Shivaji at the Gateway of India.
The statement has sent shockwaves across the rank and file of the Sena, but not a single party worker was willing to comment.
Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, however, went into damage control by downplaying Thackeray's statement. "Balasaheb's comment was not against the memorial. 
It was against the Democratic Front. The idea of building the memorial is brought up during every election 2004u00a0 and now too. Balasaheb finds these announcements stupid, not the idea of the memorial.
Former MLC Vinayak Methe, who had first demanded and mooted a proposal for an international memorial of Shivaji spluttered, "How can Balasaheb forget that the whole proposal to build an international memorial was mooted during the Sena-BJP regime in 1995!
The then CM Manohar Joshi had also appointed a committee in 1996 to examine the project, which was headed by senior Sena leader Sudhir Joshi."
He added, "I can understand that Thackeray may have forgotten this fact due to his age.
But I don't think he would take such a stand, considering that he admires Shivaji Maharaj and his party is built on an ideology professing faith in Shivaji Maharaj."
CM shocked
A shocked CM Ashok Chavan said, "It is rather surprising that Balasaheb has said this.
We will stand by what we have announced and we will build a monument, which will be the nation's pride. I am shocked at his statement."
Kumar Ketkar, editor of Loksatta, whose house was vandalised by Methe's men for opposing the statue, said, "Bal Thackeray has just reiterated what he had stated earlier.
u00a0
But Thackeray is blunt. He will say whatever he feels is right. Even Raj Thackeray had opposed it."
Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal questioned the timing of the criticism and asked, "Why didn't the Shiv Sena raise an objection earlier as the project work has been in-progress for almost two years.
This memorial will be different; it will depict the history and life of Shivaji Maharaj in various forms."
No comment
Shanta Gokhale, historian, refusing to comment on Thackeray's statement, said, "I don't want to comment on any statement, but there seems to be a sense of foolish pride and one-upmanship.
I am not questioning the spending for the cultural heritage. But if at all we want to present the rich culture of Mumbai, we can do it in a better way by building a museum to promote cinema and theatre."
17,350
Number of people (at the time of going to print) who favour Vishal Dadlani's campaign against the Shivaji statue on his website https://smallchange.in/
u00a0
7,650
The number of signatures Vishal still needs to go to court and file a PIL against the project
Monumental
At 309 ft, the Shivaji statue will be 3.5 feet taller than the u00a0Statue of Liberty. Built on a cement concrete structure on a land space of six acres, the u00a0site will also have an amphitheatre, a restaurant and a promenade.
u00a0
The statue will be at a distance of 1.7 km from Malabar Hill, 1.5 km from Girgaum, and 1.8 km from Nariman Point.
Thackeray's Saamna quote
A Shivaji statue is being erected in the Arabian Sea. Comment. (Arabi samudrat Shivarayancha putla ubha rahtoy)
This is foolishness. There is a statue of Shivaji Maharaj at the Gateway of India. How far is the sea? Why are they bringing this up again and again? Just when the elections are around the corner?
(Murkhapana aahe to. Murkhapana! Kay garaj aahe? Deshachya mahadwarajawal mhanje Gateway of India jawal.
Ek aahet Shivaji Maharaj. Samudra kiti laamb aahe. Pan he aata parat parat ka kadhtay? Nivadnukichya tondaavar?)
How to spend Rs 350 crore
>u00a0Two lakh children can be educated with Rs 350 crore.
>u00a0Around 250 industrial u00a0training institutes (ITIs) and more than 50 polytechnics can be built.u00a0u00a0
> An IT/ITES SEZ is being built at a similar cost at Ahmedabad, which can employ around 20,000 persons.
>u00a0A 350-bed hospital can be set up.
u00a0
On his stand Ketkar said I am not against the memorial per se, all I am saying is that there seems to be an absence of priorities for the state government, when there are other urgent issues to be taken care of.
They could have utilised the money to take care of problems like Mumbai's transport problem, school dropouts, drought issues and urban planning problems. Besides, the cost of the project will be more than Rs 350 crore and close to or more than Rs 1,000 crore.
u00a0
Ashok Chanvan's more comment
We have to go through a whole process that is right from examining various locations and viability to obtaining permissions from various agencies such as the Navy, Port Trust and the environment authorities. Only after we got the green signal from all these agencies did we begin the project.
u00a0
Bal Thackeray's second question
Mhanje he nivadnukiche pratap ahet. (You mean this is an election stunt) Hoy. Nakeech. Shevti te Sushilkumar Shine. Urjamantri. Aajhe aahet. Congresscha sarkar punha aalyabarobar vij bill maafichi ghoshna keli tyani magchya velela. Shevti sarkar aala tyancha.
Vij bille nahi maaf keli. Vicharla, kay ho? Tar mhanje nivadnukichya tondavar ashi ashvasane dyaavi lagtat. Hey Sushilkumar Shindyancha vakya aahe. Naav gheun boltoy. Shivrayanchya putlyachasudha tasach! Nivadnukichya tondavar putla!
u00a0
(Yes. Of course. After all, he is Sushilkumar Shinde. Power Minister. He still is. Last time, he had promised to waive off electricity bills if the Congress government came to power. Finally they came to power. And did not waive off electricity bills.
Asked, what happened? Such promises are meant to be made just before the elections. This is Sushilkumar Shinde's statement. I am taking his name. It's the same with Shivaji's statue. It's a promise just before the elections.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
