‘State govt lacks willpower to complete the project’

PUNE: Political parties have criticised State’s BJP-led government for failure in completing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial. They pointed out that the State’s lack of willpower has delayed this project. 

Against the background of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue project being completed by the BJP government in Gujarat, a cross-section of leaders from different political parties expressed their views by comparing the two projects. On Wednesday, PM Modi unveiled the Statue of Unity, which at 182 metres is the tallest in the world. The statue has been built as a tribute to freedom icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Vandana Chavan, NCP leader and Member of Parliament, said, “BJP is using leaders’ names for scoring political mileage. They don’t consider public sentiments while setting their political agenda. In Vallabhbhai Patel statue project, the agenda of BJP was to counter other great leaders who made a major contribution to the country. Hence, they gave preference to complete it within time. In Maharashtra, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s memorial project and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial are not their priorities. Hence, they have not been completed yet.”

“Actually, we should not compare the work of renowned personalities by comparing the height of the statues. Every leader has different contributions towards the country,” Chavan added. 

Neelam Gorhe, spokesperson of Shiv Sena, said, “Patel’s statue was an ambitious project of the Narendra Modi government. When Modi was the CM of Gujarat, he had announced the project. After he became the PM, the project was prioritised and completed. In the case of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial, Congress and NCP announced the project but they did not take necessary permissions. BJP-Shiv Sena government completed all formalities and took all necessary permissions which are the reason of non-completion project till date.” 

Mohan Joshi, former Member of Legislative Council and senior Congress leader said, “PM Modi had announced the construction of the largest Statue of Vallabhbhai Patel. It was his dream, so, they completed it within time. In the case of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial, they used it to get power in Maharashtra. Due to the politicisation of the issue, the project has not been completed. The project was announced before Patel statue.” 

Pravin Gaikwad, State president of Sambhaji Brigade said, “The State government does not have the willpower to complete the project. They want to politicise the issue. So, it has been delayed. PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 2016, but the government is still struggling to get all permissions to complete the project. It clearly showed the lack of willpower of the State government in constructing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial.” 

Anil Shidore, a senior leader of MNS, said, “PM Modi has the vision, focus agenda and robust management skills. CM Fadnavis does not have such kind of management skills to complete the ambitious project.”