MLA Dr Nimbalkar demands government apology for removal of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue

Khanapur MLA Dr Anjali Nimbalkar’s demands to reinstall the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Mangutti village in Hukkeri taluk and an apology from the state government for the act has earned the ire of Kannada activists.

Dr Nimbalkar made these demands in a Tweet on August 9 which went viral by Tuesday. She called the removal Shivaji Maharaj's statue an insult to the national icon. She demanded an apology from the government and asked that the statue be reinstalled immediately. She also demanded action against officials responsible for taking down the statue.

She posted photos of the statue on the controversial site and marked it with dates.

Belagavi District Kannada Organisations Action Committee president Ashok Chandargi opposed the stand taken by Dr Nimbalkar who is a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Chandargi said, earlier in the legislative session held in Belagavi, Dr Nimbalkar had demanded that government documents be made available in Marathi for Marathi- speaking people. Now to woo Marathi-speaking voters, political leaders, who do not utter a word regarding Rani Channamma speak of Shivaji Maharaj.

He said, "We support the decision taken by the people, but the Tweet against the state by MLA Dr Nimbalkar was unacceptable."

Dr Nimbalkar told DH that she stands by her tweet regarding Shivaji Maharaj’s statue as he was a national icon and that insult should not be meted out to him. “As an MLA from the district, I have raised my voice against the statue being removed after it was installed.”

Regarding KPCC working president and MLA Satish Jarkiholi stating that it was a local issue and others should not interfere in it, she said she was unaware of the statement and the reference to outsiders could have meant those from Maharashtra.

"I have demanded action against concerned officials and people who removed the statue as people who removed the statue as per the initial reports," she stated.