Maharashtra parties welcome Unesco tag for 12 Shivaji forts
in the Unesco World Heritage List. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde extended their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating the achievement.
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The BJP planned to commemorate the occasion with Shiv Aarti events throughout Mumbai during the weekend, including at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park.
Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray called on the govt to immediately demolish all unauthorized constructions on 11 of the forts, irrespective of the encroachers' religion or caste. The Congress thanked Unesco while critiquing the Prime Minister.
Chief minister Fadnavis stated that he, along with his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, met Prime Minister Modi to request his support in securing the Unesco designation for the forts, thereby elevating them on the world tourism map as a proud manifestation of Marathi heritage.
Shinde commented, "It is a big achievement for us and a pride for Maharashtra. I thank PM Modi and the chief minister who took the initiative to make it successful.
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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar remarked, "This is not merely a historical honour, but a mark of glory that underscores the global significance of the forts that stand as witnesses to our Swarajya. Now, Chhatrapati's history will not remain confined to our textbooks but will become a subject of global study…. Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, the Archaeological Department, and history scholars for this historic achievement!"
Congress's Maharashtra president Harshwardhan Sapkal stated, "Unesco's recognition of the glorious history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a matter of pride and honour for the entire nation.
But unfortunately, it is a tragedy for this country that Modi feels ashamed even to mention the name of our Maharaj, whose glory is celebrated worldwide! UNESCO took timely action, which is good; otherwise, the Modi govt would have handed over these historical forts to Adani as well.
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Raj Thackeray urged the govt to demolish unauthorised constructions on the eleven forts, as he tweeted in Marathi and English: "…Out of these twelve forts, eleven are in Maharashtra and one fort, the fort of Jinji, is in Tamil Nadu.
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On this occasion, those who talk about Maharashtra's achievements will know how far the idea of Swarajya instilled by Maharaj had reached and will also know how old and strong the bridge between two languages and cultures is.
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Responding to Raj Thackeray, BJP minister Ashish Shelar stated on Twitter, "We have issued a govt resolution to form a committee under the chairmanship of District Collectors to remove encroachments. A survey of encroachments on all forts has been completed by January 31, 2025, and some have been removed, while action is ongoing for others."
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