Thackeray statue sets new precedents…

A life-size statue of late Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray is becoming a center of attraction and one can see people in groups taking a careful look at the 9 ft tall sculpture situated on a traffic island near the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), in South Mumbai.

Any unpleasant question over the statue, unveiled by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the late Shiv Sena chief’s son may not go down well with his admirers. But, during his lifetime, Thackeray faced a volley of criticism with equal élan using his sharp-tongued oratory skills. Besides he was a gifted cartoonist, a powerful weapon to mime his critics.

Before the unveiling ceremony, some feeble voices of dissent came in from a bunch of citizens. This opposition was not directed towards late Thackeray but the location of the statue. Attempts were made to register their disapproval with the Mumbai City district collector, who also heads a district committee according to a State Government decision for the erection of statues, but in vain.

A careful look at the statue- a well 1200 kg sculpture in bronze, and the 14 ft podium, one yearns to have a look at the other statues of revered personalities in the nearby. And you have Lal Bahadur Shashtri’s statue near Regal Cinema on the southward of the same circle, which is also known as Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk. At the center of the circle is the historic Wellington Fountain. A few walks away is another important equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the vicinity of Gateway of India. 

While both the statues that of late Prime Minister Shastri and Chh. Shivaji Maharaj bears a plaque right at the podium with the names of the people who graced the unveiling of it, same is missing at the Thackeray statue. One can find just one name i e of CM Uddhav Thackeray, raising a few questions such as – was it is carefully avoided? For political reasons or otherwise? 

A special mention was made during the function as to how Maharashtra boasts of a unique culture where leaders from diverse political platforms, political rivals come together for such events. Photographs and video clips flashed into media, but the ground reality seems stark different, isn’t it? Because, names of the prominent personalities such as NCP chief Sharad Pawar who, despite his political rivalry had maintained personal equations with the late Sena chief, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Congress leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, MNS chief and member of the Thackeray family Raj Thackeray and Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar have been inscribed on a separate plaque fixed next to the podium.

Here one may think over the political bitterness existing between Shiv Sena, BJP, and MNS behind just one name on the plaque, fixed on the podium.

Notably, a plaque with names of the dignitaries fixed right at the podium of the statue of late PM Lal Bahadur Shashtri, unveiled on October 2, 2007, at the hands of the then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in the presence of late CM Vilasrao Deshmukh along with Shastri’s son Anil and then local MP Milind Deora & local MLA Annie Shekhar.

The same is the case with the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj where a plaque fixed at the podium itself, can be seen with the names of late Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan and his cabinet colleague Balasaheb Desai, who led Chh. Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti to erect this grand statue.

Now, one should not ask what role the district collector-led committee had during in process of approval of the Thackeray statue, which is mandatory to erect a statue at any public place. As Thackeray was one of the most powerful and popular figures in recent time, such questions should not arise. Just to mention here, the state has a well-devised policy for erecting statues, formulated in 2017. A Government Resolution (GR) has also been released. The policy deals with important aspects such as do’s and don’ts, permissions, etc for the erection of monuments with district collector-led committees for each district.

According to the policy, the government never spends from the state kitty for statues. Any registered public body has to come forward for such a cause. Here, Prabodhan Prakashan Pvt Ltd that publishes Sena mouth organ ‘Saamana’, shouldered the responsibility. Interestingly, Rajya Sabha member and executive editor of Saamana Sanjay Raut was not visible at the venue of the unveiling ceremony on Saturday. He paid a visit to the statue the next day i e on Sunday, January 24th.

Also, there is a state-approved norm for public functions such as who should be invited and whose names should have a mention on any public function organized by the government or semi-government bodies. Here Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ruled by Shiv Sena, hosted the event. Now, local MP, MLA cannot raise questions over their names missing from the plaque or the invite. It should become a precedent as government officials find it very difficult to accommodate the dignitaries on the dais, name on invitation cards, etc.

And not to mention, here the BJP comes in a bad light. Because, even though statues of two stalwarts are situated at the grand square which is named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the party never heard of giving a thought to erect his statue. Dr. Mukherjee, known as the founder of Bhartiya Jan Sangha- where BJP traces its roots, has been one of the most respected figures for the party.