Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologized for the recent fall of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort. The incident happened eight months after the statue was installed. In a conversation in Palghar, Maharashtra, he apologized to both the legendary ruler and the people who felt offended by the incident.
On reaching there, Modi recorded, We first said sorry to Shivaji over the statue collapse. We wanted to apologize to those who were hurt. Modi said that for them and followers of Shivaji Maharaj, nothing is bigger than their idol.
The statue, measuring about 35 feet, stands in the Sindhudurg district and fell on August 26. It was meant to pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his impact on the navy and maritime control, thus associating the historical value with the contemporary Indian navy.
Some of the controversies are that before its construction, the Public Works Department had raised some concerns, such as fear of rusting nuts and bolts that might compromise the stability of the statue, and all these were ignored.
The statue was constructed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government for which the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has claimed corruption and demanded the sacking of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In response to the controversy, Shinde said that he would go on and willingly issue a thousand apologies.
There was also an opportunity to scold the Opposition for its attitude towards Veer Savarkar. Modi said,
“We are not those who insult the great son of Mother India. ”
This comment was a veiled dig at the current leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, who began a criminal defamation case over his statements about Savarkar made in London.
