NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha leader of opposition, said on Thursday that PM Modi should apologise not only to Shivaji Maharaj but also to every Maharashtrian people for the collapse of the Maratha warrior king’s statue in Sindurdurg.
The Congress leader was speaking at an event in Sangli that witnessed the inauguration of Pantangrao Kadam’s life-size statue. Kadam was a senior party leader and had served as minister.
“I give you a guarantee that Kadam ji’s statue installed will be here even after 50-70 years….Shivaji Maharaj’s statue was installed but only a few days later the statue fell.This is an insult to Shivaji Maharaj. The PM should apologise not just to Shivaji Maharaj but also to every person of Maharashtra,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the rally.
The ex-Congress chief further alleged that the contract for building the statue was given to a person linked to the RSS, which is the ideological fountainhead of the ruling BJP.
“I want to ask the Prime Minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS person who had no merit, or for the corruption in the process,” Rahul Gandhi said, according to news agency PTI.
Modi should answer why all contracts are given only to “Adani and Ambani” and why he was running the government only for “two people”, the Congress leader added.
Last week, PM Modi apologised for the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for me, for us Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our idol. Whatever happened in Sindhudurg a few days ago…today I bow and place my head at the feet of my beloved god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally last week in Maharasthra’s Palghar.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled around nine months ago on December 4 last year by PM Modi on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot Fort at Malvan in Sindhudurg district.
CM Eknath Shinde described the incident as “unfortunate” and promised to reinstall it, saying that “due to strong winds of around 45 kmph”, the statue “erected by the Navy…fell and got damaged”.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old artist and ex-JJ School of Art alumnus, who was booked for the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue, was finally arrested following attempts by family and friends to persuade him to surrender to the authorities.
Teams of Sindhudurg and Thane police were trying to locate the sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, a Kalyan resident with a workshop close to his house. Police sources said Apte’s last known destination was when he and a friend left for Malvan 10 days back to visit the site where the statue was erected.
Apte was arrested outside his house when he was coming back to meet his family.
The Congress leader was speaking at an event in Sangli that witnessed the inauguration of Pantangrao Kadam’s life-size statue. Kadam was a senior party leader and had served as minister.
“I give you a guarantee that Kadam ji’s statue installed will be here even after 50-70 years….Shivaji Maharaj’s statue was installed but only a few days later the statue fell.This is an insult to Shivaji Maharaj. The PM should apologise not just to Shivaji Maharaj but also to every person of Maharashtra,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the rally.
The ex-Congress chief further alleged that the contract for building the statue was given to a person linked to the RSS, which is the ideological fountainhead of the ruling BJP.
“I want to ask the Prime Minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS person who had no merit, or for the corruption in the process,” Rahul Gandhi said, according to news agency PTI.
Modi should answer why all contracts are given only to “Adani and Ambani” and why he was running the government only for “two people”, the Congress leader added.
Last week, PM Modi apologised for the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for me, for us Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our idol. Whatever happened in Sindhudurg a few days ago…today I bow and place my head at the feet of my beloved god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally last week in Maharasthra’s Palghar.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled around nine months ago on December 4 last year by PM Modi on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot Fort at Malvan in Sindhudurg district.
CM Eknath Shinde described the incident as “unfortunate” and promised to reinstall it, saying that “due to strong winds of around 45 kmph”, the statue “erected by the Navy…fell and got damaged”.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old artist and ex-JJ School of Art alumnus, who was booked for the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue, was finally arrested following attempts by family and friends to persuade him to surrender to the authorities.
Teams of Sindhudurg and Thane police were trying to locate the sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, a Kalyan resident with a workshop close to his house. Police sources said Apte’s last known destination was when he and a friend left for Malvan 10 days back to visit the site where the statue was erected.
Apte was arrested outside his house when he was coming back to meet his family.