Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 14 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for "politicising" the inclusion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's 12 forts in UNESCO's World Heritage List.
UBT's Rajya Sabha MP said that while inclusion of the forts is a cause for the celebration for the whole of Maharashtra, the BJP should have also released a joint statement along with the other political parties to celebrate Maratha history.
"What is unfortunate is that this is a cause of celebration for the entire state of Maharashtra and the nation that UNESCO has recognised the importance of Maratha history and the valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It would have been in the right spirit that the BJP, by being in power, would take all parties onboard and put out a joint statement that we all celebrate the valour, history, culture and bravery of the Maratha empire," he said.
"We did not see it happen, they are politicising it and trying to take credit for something of which the people of Maharashtra also should be considered a part of. It is unfortunate, it shows that any good thing comes your way you take credit for it," she added.
Earlier, at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, India's official nomination for 2024-25 cycle, 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' got inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming India's 44th property to receive this recognition.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, with other leaders of the Mahayuti alliance celebrated the inclusion of 12 forts in the UNESCO list.
Speaking about the inclusion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's forts, Maharashtra Minister Aditi Sunil Tatkare said, "Our forts have got the UNESCO heritage status and this is a matter of immense happiness and great pride for us...This is a matter of pride not just for Maharashtra but for the entire country that our 12 forts have received this status."
The Centre had sent a proposal to the consideration of World Heritage Committee in Jan 2024 and after a rigorous eighteen-month long process involving several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and visit of ICOMOS's mission to review the sites, this historic decision was taken by the members of the World Heritage Committee today evening at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, the Ministry of Culture said.
Spread across the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the selected sites include Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
While Shivneri fort, Lohgad, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala fort, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and Gingee fort are protected under the Archaeological Survey of India whereas Salher fort, Rajgad, Khanderi fort and Pratapgarh are protected by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra.
Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad, and Gingee are situated in hilly terrains and are therefore known as hill forts.