The unclean statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj prompted anger from the locals here when Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari along with mayor Kishori Pednekar visited Shivaji Park to pay tribute to the Maratha emperor's statue on his birth anniversary.

Shivsena stalwart Manohar Joshi said that BMC is responsible for the cleanliness of the statue.

The real issue cropped up when the cleanliness of the statue propped up.

Like each year, floral tributes were paid by the dignitaries to the statue however, the condition of the statue in terms of cleanliness was in question.

Angry locals who were present here were miffed with the entire situation. The statue was dirty, polishing was fading off, moreover, the bird droppings on the statue were also not cleaned.

Locals said that the BMC should form a committee if required to ensure the cleanliness of the statues of great people. They said that even though the tributes were given by dignitaries, the cleanliness of the statue was in question.

Shivsena stalwart Manohar Joshi was also present on the occasion and said that, "BMC is responsible for the cleanliness of the statue. The mayor is present on the occasion and she will ensure that next time, cleanliness is maintained."

"If required, a committee should be formed in order to avoid such embarrassing situations next time," he added.

Meanwhile, he and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari both remembered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj saying he has been an inspiration for everyone and people should follow his footsteps to become a great person.

"It is important to celebrate such occasions irrespective of the date or 'tithi'. It will be interesting to see how the cleanliness of such statues is kept in the coming times as it is a mark of disrespect to our tributes and to an unclean statue," said Joshi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)