In signs of rumblings within the ruling coalition in Maharashtra months before state polls, the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has condemned the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and given the call for a silent protest to demand action against those responsible.

“It is very painful and heart-wrenching that the statue of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj erected at the Rajkot fort in Malvan has crashed. It is shocking that this statue fell in just eight months (after it was inaugurated),” state NCP president Sunil Tatkare has said in a statement.

“It cannot be denied that an unforgivable mistake was made. In order to protest this tragedy and to take precautions to prevent such accidents from happening in the future, the Nationalist Congress Party has organized a rally across the state on Thursday, dt. On 29 August 2024 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, we will hold a silent protest in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. We will demand that strict action be taken against whoever is guilty in this case,” the statement added.

The NCP demanded that the government work round the clock and build a new statue at Rajkot Fort to honour Shivaji Maharaj.

The 35-foot statue of the 17th century ruler was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4.

The statue’s collapse on Monday sparked a massive political row, with the Opposition alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) demanding Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s resignation. A complaint by the Public Works Department alleged that construction of the statue was not up to the mark and nuts and bolts used in the structure were rusted. A case has been registered against two people involved in the project — contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil.

The decision of Ajit Pawar’s NCP to hold a silent protest against the government he is part of needs to seen against the backdrop of the current political landscape in Maharashtra. There has been a sea of change in the state’s political equations between last election and this one. The Shiv Sena has split into the factions led by Chief Minister Eknath and Uddhav Thackeray, and the NCP into factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.

In the recently held Lok Sabha election, the Opposition alliance put up a stellar show, winning 30 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It will now be looking to repeat the strong performance in the state polls. The BJP-led ruling alliance, on the other hand, will go all out to make a comeback.

Against the backdrop, Ajit Pawar’s decision to call a protest is politically significant. His faction of the NCP won just one seat in the Lok Sabha election and lost several leaders to the Sharad Pawar faction after the poll results. He also admitted that fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule was a “mistake”. The developments have sparked buzz on whether the junior Pawar is considering returning to uncle Sharad Pawar’s camp after a string of setbacks. Ajit Pawar has, however, said he is firmly with the NDA and has expressed confidence that the bloc will form the government in Maharashtra again.

Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and wrongly securing OBC (Other Backward Class) and disability quota benefits, has told the Delhi High Court that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) – which conducts the civil services exam – has no power to take disqualify her.

The UPSC last month cancelled Puja Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from future exams. The Commission alleged that she misrepresented information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to get reservation benefits.

“Once selected and appointed as a Probationary Officer, UPSC does not have the power to disqualify the candidature,” Puja Khedkar, who is seeking anticipatory bail in the criminal case against her, said in a response filed before the court on the UPSC’s charges against her.

She said that now only the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Central Government can take action against her.

Puja Khedkar On UPSC’s “Changed Her Name” Charge

The UPSC has claimed that Puja Khedkar attempted the uber-competitive qualifying test more than the six times permitted for a general category candidate. She did so by changing her name, and that of her parents, which is why the Commission said it could not detect the violation.

Puja Khedkar, however, refuted these allegations and said that there has been no change in her name or surname from 2012 to 2022. She also said that she had not given any wrong information about herself to the UPSC.

“UPSC verified my identity through biometric data. The Commission did not find my documents fake or incorrect. My educational certificate, Aadhaar card, date of birth, and other personal information were found to be absolutely correct,” she told the court.

“All the necessary verifications were also done by DoPT. As per DoPT, a medical board constituted by AIIMS conducted my medical examination. The board found my disability to be up to 47% and more than the 40% disability required for the PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) category,” she said in her reply.

Puja Khedkar’s “Fraud” Not Only Against Us But Public Too: UPSC

The UPSC, earlier this month, opposed in the Delhi High Court an anticipatory bail petition by Puja Khedkar, saying she committed “fraud” against the commission and the public. 

In its reply filed in court on August 21, the UPSC said Puja Khedkar’s custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the magnitude of the “fraud” that could not have been done without the help of other individuals. Therefore, her pre-arrest bail plea should be dismissed, it said.

“The gravity of the fraud committed is unprecedented in nature having been committed against not only a constitutional body — the complainant — whose traditions are untrammelled and unparalleled but also against the public at large, including the citizens of this country who have utmost faith upon the credibility of the UPSC as well as persons who could not be appointed despite being duly eligible and qualified due to illegal means employed by the applicant to seek appointment,” the UPSC said.

The Delhi Police has also sought dismissal of the pre-arrest bail plea on the ground that any relief to her would hinder its probe into the “deep-rooted conspiracy” and that the case has wider implications on public trust as well as the integrity of the civil services examination.

The Delhi High Court will today hear her petition.