In a sharp jibe at the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that the collapsed Shivaji statue gave the former a message that their ideology had been wrong.
Maratha warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue collapsed in state's Sindhudurg district in August.
"The Congress party today is fighting against the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought against. They (BJP) made a statue of Shivaji Maharaj and after a few days, the statue broke and fell. Their intention was wrong and the statue gave them a message that if you want to make a statue of Shivaji Maharaj, then you have to protect the ideology of Shivaji Maharaj," Rahul Gandhi said at an event.
"That is why the statue fell because their ideology is wrong... They did not allow the tribal President to attend the inauguration of Ram Mandir and Parliament... This is not a political fight, this is a fight of ideology," he added.
Also read: Shivaji statue collapse: Internal corrosion, weak frame, welding faults led to toppling, says probe report
Rahul Gandhi on Saturday unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, in Kolhapur.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul Gandhi on Saturday unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, in Kolhapur.
{{/usCountry}}"There is no use of bowing before bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country," Gandhi said.
After the collapse of the statue triggered a massive row, PM Modi issued an apology.
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity," PM Modi said on August 30.
Also read: Prime Minister Modi apologises for collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue in Malvan
The 35-foot statue was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day. It collapsed in August.
Last month, Jaideep Apte, the sculptor of Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue, was arrested. Chief minister Eknath Shinde said those responsible for the embarrassing collapse would not be spared.
Also read: Maharashtra expands committee investigating Shivaji statue collapse in Malvan
The police have also arrested the consultant, Chetan Patil.
The Sindhudurg police told the court last month that the materials recovered from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue were rusted.Maharashtra will go to polls later this year.
With inputs from PTI, ANI