A statue's collapse shakes up politics in an Indian state |breaking news live

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue of warrior king Shivaji in December #lastestbreakingnews

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00:00The collapse of a massive statue of a 17th-century ruler has sparked protests and a political

00:05controversy in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Shivaji Shahaji Bosele was a

00:11warrior king whose exploits against the Mughals made him a hero during his own lifetime.

00:17He is revered in the state and celebrated as an icon of the Hindu right.

00:21So the statue's collapse, weeks before elections are due in Maharashtra,

00:26has put the state's ruling coalition on the back foot and given opposition parties a potent issue

00:31to raise. It even drew an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the

00:37statue in December and whose Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, is part of Maharashtra's ruling

00:42coalition. I extend my apologies to all those who worshipped Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,

00:49Emperor Shivaji, as their revered deity. I know their sentiments are hurt," he said on Friday.

00:55The BJP is part of an alliance which runs the state government along with breakaway

01:00factions of two regional parties, the Shiv Sena and the National Congress Party, NCP.

01:06Even members of the NCP held, silent protests, last week, demanding action from the state

01:12government that they are part of. Built at a cost of 23.6m rupees, 281,285 dollars,

01:21214,185 pounds, the 35ft 10.6m statue in Sindhudurg district collapsed on the 26th of

01:30August amid heavy monsoon rains. The opposition has demanded Chief Minister Eknath Shinn's

01:36resignation, alleging corruption in its construction. Senior opposition leader

01:42Sharad Pawar said during a protest rally that numerous statues of Shivaji across the state

01:47were still standing but only the newly installed one had collapsed.

01:51There was corruption in the process of installing the statue.

01:55This is an insult to Chhatrapati Maharaj, he alleged. Mr Shinn has denied the charges,

02:01saying the statue collapsed because of strong winds in the coastal town.