The Opposition in Maharashtra on Monday said that the state government was responsible for the collapse of a statue of 17th century ruler Shivaji in Sindhudurg district.

The 35-foot statue at the Rajkot Fort in the Malvan region collapsed on Monday afternoon amid heavy rainfall and strong winds. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day in December.

Supriya Sule, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), said that the statue’s collapse was an insult to Shivaji.

“It is obvious that the work of this statue was of poor quality, which is why the statue collapsed before completing a year,” the Lok Sabha MP said. “This is an open deception by the prime minister. There is a need for a thorough investigation to look into the inferior quality of the statue.”

Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra chief of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), said that the state’s Mahayuti government was responsible for the incident “as it did not take proper care” of the structure.

The Mahayuti alliance consists of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party group.

“The government paid little attention to the quality of work,” The Indian Express quoted Patil as saying. “It only focused on conducting an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue.”

The government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly, Patil alleged.

Aaditya Thackeray, a Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader, alleged that the state’s coalition government built the memorial hastily ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “We will never tolerate the insult of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who is our and all Maharashtra’s idol!” Thackeray said on social media.

Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, alleged that the Maharashtra government “did not spare even Maharaj from its dirty business of commission”.

“This has been an insult of all the followers of Shivaji Maharaj,” the Congress leader said. “The contractor must face action.”

The government said that it has filed police complaints against officials, contractors and the statue’s sculptors, The Indian Express reported.

Shinde said that it was an unfortunate incident and that the statue had been built and designed by the Indian Navy, the newspaper reported.

“When I spoke to the district collector, I was told that the winds were blowing at a rate of 45 km per hour that damaged the statue,” the chief minister said. “We will ensure that a new statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is built on the same spot.”

Shinde added that Navy officials will inspect the site on Tuesday.

The Navy expressed deep concern over the incident, ANI reported. “The Indian Navy notes with deep concern the damage caused this morning to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj unveiled on Navy Day on December 4, 2023, as a dedication to the citizens of Sindhudurg,” it said on Monday.

The Navy said that it has deputed a team to “immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest”.