Maharashtra: Modi apologises for Shivaji statue’s collapse, says he bows his head
The police are now hunting for its sculptor, Jaydeep Apte; the incident has triggered shock waves in Maharashtra, where Shivaji is highly revered
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 30) offered his apologies for the shocking collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Maharashtra, just nine months after he unveiled it.
“The moment I landed here (Palghar), I first apologised to Shivaji over the statue collapse. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse,” Modi said after laying the foundation stone of the Rs 76,000 crore Vadhvan Port project in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.
‘Nothing bigger than our deity’
"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," he added.
“Some people keep abusing Veer Savarkar but are not ready to apologise for insulting him,” he said while apparently targeting Opposition parties like the Congress.
Modi said when he was declared the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, he visited Raigad, the capital of the Shivaji’s kingdom, and meditated before the Maratha king’s samadhi.
These are Modi’s first remarks after the statue collapsed at the coastal Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district.
One held, another on the run
Chetan Patil, who was the structural consultant of the statue which crashed at the Rajkot Fort in Malvan, was arrested on Thursday night after being on the run since the incident on August 26.
The police are now hunting for its sculptor, Jaydeep Apte. The incident has triggered shock waves in Maharashtra, where Shivaji is highly revered.
Opposition targets government
The Opposition in Maharashtra has blamed corruption in the building of the statue for what happened and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis.
Modi had unveiled the statue in December last year during the Navy Day celebrations in Sindhudurg district. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence.
The state government has announced that a joint technical committee headed by the Navy with representatives from the state government and technical experts will investigate the reasons for the statue collapse on Monday.
(With agency inputs)