Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologised to the Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for the collapse of Shivaji's statue in Malvan, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, on Friday, August 30. He said, "I bow my head and apologise to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj."
During the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of 218 fisheries projects worth Rs 1,560 crore in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, PM Modi said, "Today, I bow before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise to my god." Taking a dig at the MVA alliance parties in Maharashtra, he added, "We are not the kind of people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar."
PM Modi Modi Apologise to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us... today I bow my head and apologise to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Our values are different, we are not those people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar. They are not ready to apologize, they are ready to go to the courts and fight," PM Modi said.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by PM Narendra Modi on December 4 on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, collapsed on Monday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that the incident is "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".
After the Maratha warrior's statue fell, opposition parties led by MVA attacked the state government and asked Prime Minister Modi to apologise to Shivaji Maharaj. It was alleged that the government had paid little attention to the quality of work.
PM Modi further stated, "I also apologize to the people who believe in Shivaji and Shiv bhakts.' "Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them. Our values are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity."
PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Vadhvan Port on Friday, which is set to boost trade in the country in many aspects due to its strategic location and capacity. It will be India's largest deep-water port with an investment of Rs 76,220 crore. The port will improve India's connectivity with Central Asia and Russia and will give boost trade through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
After the inauguration, PM Modi said that this is very big for India's development journey. Developed Maharashtra is the most important part of the resolution of developed India. He said that the state has the necessary power and resources for development. "Today the foundation stone of Vadhavan Port has been laid and Rs 76,000 crore will be spent on it. It will be biggest container port in the country," He added.