Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 30: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji and all those who were hurt by the collapse of the legendary 17th-century warrior king’s statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district earlier this week, merely eight months after it was unveiled by him.
“The moment I landed here, I first apologised to Shivaji over the statue collapse. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse,” PM Modi said at a public meeting in Palghar in Maharashtra. “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.
“For me, my colleagues, and everyone, Shivaji Maharaj is not just a king but a revered figure… Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity,” he said. The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering in Palghar, after laying the foundation stone of the ₹ 76,000 crore Vadhvan Port and other projects.
The 35-foot statue of the Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Modi at Rajkot Fort on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed on August 26. The Indian Navy 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. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said the statue was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy. Following the collapse of the statue, the Indian Navy ordered an investigation into the incident.
The Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) had flagged concerns over rust gathering on Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and suggested permanent measures in a letter sent to a Naval official just six days before the structure collapsed, yet the warnings were ignored. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has accused the ruling government of corruption in the matter of the statue construction and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday visited the Rajkot fort and later posted on social-media platform ‘X’, that “a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed at the same place.”
Mr Modi also had a veiled jibe at the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Mr Modi said some people keep abusing Veer Savarkar but are not ready to apologise for insulting him. “We are not the ones who constantly insult and abuse Veer Savarkar, hurting the sentiments of patriots. Despite this, they refuse to apologise and instead head to court. The people of Maharashtra should recognise their ‘sanskar’ (values). My ‘sanskar’ is that the first thing I did upon landing in Maharashtra today was to apologise to my revered deity. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse,” he said.
“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,” he added, taking an indirect swipe at Rahul Gandhi. Mr Gandhi is fighting a criminal defamation case filed by VD Savarkar’s grandson, Satyaki Savarkar. The Congress leader is accused of making false allegations against the Hindutva ideologue during his address in London.
Meanwhile, a structural consultant Chetan Patil, named in the FIR registered in connection with the collapse of the Shivaji statue, has been arrested in Kolhapur. Patil was taken into custody late on Thursday night and was handed over to the Sindhudurg police for further investigation, said Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit. Patil had been on the run since the incident on Monday that has sparked a massive public outrage and political furore, as the sculptor Jaydeep Apte still eludes the police net.
At least six probe teams of the Kolhapur Police, Sindhudurg Police and Thane Police were on the lookout for the duo whose mobile phones were off, but Patil was caught last night.