Maharashtra cabinet minister Deepak Kesarkar has suggested that the recent collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue could lead to something positive, proposing the construction of a new 100-foot statue at the same site. He urged that politics be kept out of the matter.

The 35-foot statue of the Maratha Empire`s founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Malvan tehsil last December, collapsed on Monday afternoon due to heavy winds. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the statue was conceived and built by the Indian Navy.