MUMBAI: Uddhav Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), announced that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will hold a protest march in Mumbai on September 1. The demonstration is in response to the recent collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan.

The 35-foot statue, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg on December 4 of last year, fell down on Monday afternoon. The incident has intensified the political dispute in Maharashtra.

The MVA has criticized the Mahayuti government over the statue's collapse and is calling for the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. On Wednesday, Aaditya Thackeray, a former Maharashtra minister, visited the site to assess the damage.

During this visit, Narayan Rane, a former Union minister and current representative for Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, along with his son Nilesh Rane and supporters, arrived at the site. A confrontation between Thackeray's and Rane's supporters erupted, leading to clashes with the police. Thackeray described the incident as unfortunate and urged his party members to avoid political disputes at the historical site.

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