PUNE/KOLHAPUR: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said PM Narendra Modi, besides his apology for the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj‘s statue in Sindhudurg, must express regret for demonetisation, flawed GST implementation, and destroying small and medium-scale (SME) industries.
He was speaking in Kadegaon in Sangli district where he unveiled the memorial and a statue of former Congress member late Patangrao Kadam. Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray and other senior functionaries of his party did not attend the event. Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam said Thackeray declined the invitation over personal work. Modi unveiled the Shivaji statue in Dec 2023 and it collapsed on Aug 26 and the PM tendered an apology during his recent visit to Maharashtra.
Rahul said, “I want to understand the reasons for his (PM’s) apology. It could be because he accepts that it was a mistake to give the contract for the statue’s installation to an RSS-linked person. The other reason could be that he has accepted that there was corruption in the installation. His apology to Shivaji Maharaj is not enough, he should apologise to the citizens of Maharashtra.”
Rahul reiterated his accusations that the Modi-led govt helps industrialists like Adani and Ambani. “Youth are facing unemployment crisis. The Adanis and Ambanis are not going to create employment. Small and medium-scale industries could have but Modi destroyed them to help two industrialists. He should apologise for destroying SMEs too,” Rahul said.
He added that despite opposition, Modi brought three farm laws. “He forced demonetisation on the country. He is also responsible for the flawed implementation of GST. An apology is due for all these mistakes,” he added.
He was speaking in Kadegaon in Sangli district where he unveiled the memorial and a statue of former Congress member late Patangrao Kadam. Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray and other senior functionaries of his party did not attend the event. Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam said Thackeray declined the invitation over personal work. Modi unveiled the Shivaji statue in Dec 2023 and it collapsed on Aug 26 and the PM tendered an apology during his recent visit to Maharashtra.
Rahul said, “I want to understand the reasons for his (PM’s) apology. It could be because he accepts that it was a mistake to give the contract for the statue’s installation to an RSS-linked person. The other reason could be that he has accepted that there was corruption in the installation. His apology to Shivaji Maharaj is not enough, he should apologise to the citizens of Maharashtra.”
Rahul reiterated his accusations that the Modi-led govt helps industrialists like Adani and Ambani. “Youth are facing unemployment crisis. The Adanis and Ambanis are not going to create employment. Small and medium-scale industries could have but Modi destroyed them to help two industrialists. He should apologise for destroying SMEs too,” Rahul said.
He added that despite opposition, Modi brought three farm laws. “He forced demonetisation on the country. He is also responsible for the flawed implementation of GST. An apology is due for all these mistakes,” he added.