The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in Maharashtra, comprising the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, has postponed the groundbreaking ceremony for the 450-foot (foot) statue by Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. after a fight broke out for not inviting the leaders of the opposition parties and the relatives of the social reformer.
Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray would preside over the ceremony at Indu Mills in Dadar on Friday.
According to the invitation granted by HT, the invited dignitaries included Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray and other Thackeray government cabinet ministers.
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Prakash, grandson of Dr. Ambedkar, did not receive an invitation to the event. While his other grandson, Anandraj, received a last minute invitation.
Former CM from Maharashtra and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar, also from the BJP, were not invited to the event.
Anandraj Ambedkar, who has raised several objections in the past about the quality of construction work on the project, has accused the state government of the alleged snub.
“I have been raising objections about the quality of the construction work. I got an invitation at the last minute on Friday, ”he said.
He also questioned the timing of the event because the state faces several challenges, including the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
Prakash confronted the state government and asked if it has the authority to decide who should attend the event.
Darekar, the opposition leader in the Maharashtra legislative council, accused the state government of arrogance. “It seems that the MVA has become arrogant and does not recognize others,” he alleged.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, CM Thackeray said the event would be held soon and all leaders would be invited.
“It is not necessary to politicize the issue. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has made all preparations to review the statue’s design following Cabinet approval, ”the statement read. “An important ceremony like this needs everyone’s participation and I have instructed the MMRDA to do what is necessary,” he added.
In January, the Maharashtra Cabinet had given its go-ahead to raise the statue’s height to 350 feet from 250 feet, along with a 100-foot pedestal. The total height of the structure, which will be made in bronze, will be 450 feet.
The cost of the project has also increased due to the delay in execution and changes in the initial plan.
Currently, the total cost of the project is Rs 1,089.95 crore, compared to the previous estimate of Rs 763.05 crore.
Although the inauguration ceremony for the project was held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2015, construction work has yet to gain momentum.
The project is expected to be completed in April 2022.
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