PM Narendra Modi to perform bhoomi pooja for Shivaji statue tomorrow

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai on December 24, to lay the foundation stone for a number of projects such as Mumbai Transharbour link, Metro 2B and Metro-4, two flyovers and one elevated road.

However, all eyes would be on Modi doing the ‘bhoomipujan’ for building what the Maharashtra government plans is the tallest statue of legendary Maratha warrior Shivaji. The statue is supposed to be bigger than the Statue of Liberty and when completed would be 210 metres tall. It would be built in the middle of the Arabian Sea by reclaiming close to 16 hectares of land. It is going to cost a whopping Rs 3,600 crore.

The Devendra Fadnavis government is going all out to push for the project from getting environmental clearances to raising funds. The reasons are not surprising.

The state government has been on the back foot ever since the Maratha protests have broken out throughout the state demanding reservations for the community and abolition of the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

The state government has been assuring the community that they would be getting reservations and the CM has assured that they are studying how to ensure that the SC/ST atrocities act should not be misused.

The Fadnavis government has been in soup over the Marathas demand as the Bombay HC has already given a stay to the state’s move to give reservation to the community. In spite of the stay, the community by organising mammoth morchas throughout the state have been pushing the BJP government to given them reservations. With the Marathas constituting 32% of the population, Fadnavis is in a catch 22 situation.