Govt, oppn engage in war of words over warrior king's statue

The Maharashtra assembly saw uproar today after the opposition latched onto a media report to accuse the government of reducing height of the proposed statue of Maratha king Shivaji in the Arabian sea to save money, a charge denied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Former Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan led the opposition's charge on the issue, saying the government has "time and again" reduced the height of the statue even as it claimed it would be the tallest structure in the world.

Atul Bhatkhalkar (BJP) objected to Chavan raising "any random" issue keeping aside the agenda of the business of the House. The opposition members strongly objected to the usage of the words by Bhatkhalkar and called for his suspension.

Amid the din, which forced four adjournments, the Shiv Sena also lashed out at Bhatkhalkar, saying any issue relating to the Maratha warrior was of supreme importance to the state and demanding he apologised to the people of Maharashtra.

Bhatkhalkar relented. However, the ruling party MLA sought to clarify he had used the words in connection with Chavan's remark and not with king Shivaji.

The Lower House also saw fiery exchanges between Yogesh Sagar (BJP) and Sanjay Shirsat (Shiv Sena) over the issue of seeking apology from Bhatkhalkar.

Amid all this, Abdul Sattar (Congress) tried to run away with the Speaker's mace, but was stopped by marshals.

According to a report published in a leading English daily, the government has, in a bid to slash the cost of constructing the statue, has tweaked the design so that the height of the equestrian statue is now 7.5 metres shorter than originally proposed.

Broaching the issue, Chavan said, "This (statue of Shivaji) is an issue which is very close to people of the state. The government is, time and again, reducing the height of the statute. This is the last trick they have used to reduce expenses of the statue by reducing height."
Bhatkhalkar replied, "I only used the word 'bhalatach' (any random issue). It was relating to Chavan. I did not even name Shivaji Maharaj. But keeping in mind the sentiments of members of the House, I apologise to the House and entire Maharashtra."