Govt plans Shivaji memorials in UP, Haryana

Mumbai: In a break from convention, there were no new corporations for communities proposed this time, but the state govt announced several memorials and schemes. Most memorials are a tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and popular saints like Sant Gadge Baba and Birsa Munda.CM Devendra Fadnavis said a Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Academy for Translation will be set up, and that in 2027, the centenary year of Chavdar Tale Satyagraha at Mahad that was launched by Dr B R Ambedkar to secure water rights for dailts, a development plan for infrastructure facilities will be launched. "Approval has been given to establish a memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Agra and a Maratha bravery memorial in Panipat, Haryana. The state is coordinating with the respective states to fix the sites," he said. He said funds will be provided for Shivsrushti, a historical theme park dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, at Ambegaon-Budruk in Pune and for development of the area near Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg. The CM said a memorial for Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Tulapur is expected to be completed by this June, and work on the samadhi site at Vadhu Budruk by June 2027. "The development plan for the memorial work at Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri is in the final stage and the work will be taken up soon." Fadnavis said ‘BIRSA' (Bharat Innovation, Research, Startups for Atmanirbharta) scheme has been approved to train tribal youth as innovative entrepreneurs and industrialists. A number of projects in Satara were proposed: restoration of Ajinkyatara fort and Sangam Mahuli, and a memorial for Jyotirao Phule at his birthplace. Fadnavis said a Savitribai memorial and training centre for women at Naigaon in Satara has been approved. Political analysts said memorials in Maharashtra politics are potent tools for identity assertion, community appeasement and electoral mobilisation, often used by parties to claim the legacy of iconic figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ambedkar to secure Maratha and dalit votes. "With billions of rupees allocated, these projects symbolise pride, resistance and cultural identity," an analyst said.