Though Modi later in the day apologised for the Malvan incident, it was rejected by Congress and NCP-SP.Both parties said Modi must do penance for the mistake.
While law enforcing agencies reached Gaikwad’s residence and did not allow her to step out till Modi had moved on from the Global Fintech Fest at BKC, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh was detained for a few hours at Malad PS.
After his address at the fest, Modi left to lay the foundation stone for the Rs 76,000 crore Vadhvan port project in Palghar. When Gaikwad and others were finally allowed to go where they wanted, they protested at Shivaji Park with small Shivaji statues balanced on their heads and demanded Modi’s apology for the statue collapse.
Congress said PM should take the responsibility for the statue collapse since it was unveiled by him last year in Dec.
After an apology from Modi did come in his address at the port project event, both MPCC and NCP-SP rejected it. Both parties said that since Modi had accepted the mistake, he must do penance and ask both CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to resign immediately. “Both Shinde and Fadnavis have no moral right to continue in the office. Maharashtra’s self-esteem has been largely damaged. The people of Maharashtra will never forgive the culprits. If they do not resign on their own, people of Maharashtra will send them home,” Patole claimed.
Patole said that though the statue was not ready it was unveiled in a hurry in view of LS polls. He added that BJP kept saying politics should not happen with the statue issue but it had all along used the name of Chhatarpati Shivaji Maharaj for political gains.
NCP-SP state unit chief Jayant Patil said Shivaji never tolerated corruption and irregularities and the people of the state were marching on the path shown by him.