'24-year-old, no experience': UBT mouthpiece questions Shivaji Maharaj statue contract to friend of Maharashtra CM's son

On August 26, a statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra’s coastal Sindhudurg district just eight months ago, collapsed on Monday, an official said, with the chief minister blaming “strong winds” for the cave in.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, on August 27, intensified its criticism of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The attack came after Saamna, the mouthpiece of the Thackeray faction alleged that the contract for constructing a statue of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was awarded to a friend of Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, who is a Member of Parliament from Kalyan.

The Marathi newspaper reported that the contract was given to Jaideep Apte, a 24-year-old contractor from Kalyan with no prior experience in building such statues. This has raised concerns about the awarding process of the contract, the paper noted.

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Saamana (@SaamanaOnline) August 27, 2024

"Chief Minister Shinde had given the job of erecting the statue of Shivaraya to Jaideep Apte of Kalyan, an acquaintance of his son Shrikant Shinde. Apte is a young man of only 24 years. He had no experience in making such large statues. Even after that, it is being questioned that he was entrusted with the work," it read.

Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi has questioned why Jaideep Apte was awarded the contract to build the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and why an FIR has not been filed against top state officials, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In a post on X, Chaturvedi stated, “Reports indicate that CM Shinde awarded the statue construction task to Jaideep Apte, a 24-year-old from Kalyan and a friend of CM’s son, MP Shrikant Shinde. Apte lacks experience in constructing such large statues, yet he received the contract.” She further demanded that not only Apte but the entire state government, including the CM, Deputy CM, and the PWD Minister, be named in the FIR, asserting they are all complicit in the matter.

Kalyan, Apte's constituency, is part of Thane district and is a stronghold of Eknath Shinde. It is located about an hour from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) by local or suburban trains.

On August 26, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just eight months ago in Sindhudurg district, collapsed. The chief minister attributed the collapse to “strong winds.” The incident has led to significant criticism of the state government. In response, Chief Minister Shinde has pledged to rebuild the statue, which was reportedly designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.