Congress MP attacks BJP over Chhatrapati statue collapse in Maharashtra

New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over the collapse of a 28-foot tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, alleging corruption in the construction process.

"If Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was our Prime Minister's ideal, why was the statue constructed in such a shoddy manner," Tiwari asked while speaking to IANS

"The statue was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, not just Narendra Modi. But the Prime Minister's intentions were not right because the statue he inaugurated involved corruption," the Congress MP claimed.

Incidentally, Prime Minister Modi on Friday tendered a public apology for the crash of the Chhatrapati's statue.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the all-weather Vadhvan Port in Palghar district, the Prime Minister said, “For what has happened in Malvan (Sindhudurg), I bow my head and apologise to the people of Maharashtra and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We don’t use great men for politicking."

Commenting on the Prime Minister's gesture, Tiwari said, "To whom are you apologising? To Chhatrapati's supporters? If anyone was a big supporter of Chhatrapati, it was Bal Thackeray. But you even divided his family into two parts. Your motives were never right. You are as much to blame as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (Eknath Shinde)."

Tiwari also addressed the recent decisions made in the Assam Assembly, particularly the removal of the two-hour break on Fridays for Muslim members to offer namaz, and the passage of a Bill mandating the registration of all Muslim marriages and divorces in the state.

Accusing the BJP, which is in power in Assam, of attempting to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims, Tiwari said, "BJP Chief Ministers have stooped to a new low. They have done nothing substantial for Hindus. An incomplete temple was inaugurated for which many questions were raised. But people have now realised that the inauguration was done just for the (Lok Sabha) elections. And now they are trying to harm Hindu sentiments."

Criticising the BJP's approach, the Congress MP said, "How degrading is their politics? I say do good for both Hindus and Muslims. The two-hour break was given on Fridays so that Muslim members could offer namaz and come back. How are you helping Hindus by putting an end to it?"

He also accused the BJP of resorting to communal politics, claiming that "they are unable to address inflation, unemployment, or law and order issues, besides failing to prevent crimes such as rape".

The Congress MP also touched upon the internal discord within the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the 'dissatisfaction' among the party workers following the announcement of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Citing the resignation of former BJP chief Kashmira Singh from all party posts, Tiwari said, "Kashmira Singh has resigned... They had to withdraw a candidates' list, and now only 16 nominees are remaining from that list. BJP workers are dissatisfied with the party's dictatorship."

Responding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claim that the state had moved from "anarchy" to a "progressive development model", Tiwari pointed out the rising crime rates in the state, mentioning the recent incidents in Ayodhya, Farrukhabad, and Ghaziabad, blaming the BJP for the increasing unemployment and inflation rates in Uttar Pradesh.