Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP government on Saturday, asserting that there was no use of bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country. This statement came during the unveiling of a statue of Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, in Kolhapur city, located in western Maharashtra.
Speaking at a public meeting prior to unveiling the statue, Rahul Gandhi criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the collapse of the statue of the warrior king at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district, asserting that the party's ideology is fundamentally flawed. "There is no use of bowing before bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country," Gandhi said.
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Also Read| Rahul Gandhi Unveils Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue in Kolhapur (Watch Video).
Gandhi's remarks seemingly aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had issued an apology to Shivaji Maharaj and those affected by the statue's collapse. "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not merely a name or a king; he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologize to my deity," Modi stated during his visit to Maharashtra on August 30. The 35-foot statue, which fell on August 26, had been unveiled by the Prime Minister on December 4, 2023, in honor of Navy Day.
If people like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shahu Maharaj were not there, the Constitution also would not have been there, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.