NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his apology over the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg and said any apology will not compensate for the insult to Chhatrapati. He also accused PM Modi of apologising just to get away with the controversy.
“This is a political apology, a political moment.They are asking for an apology to get away with it. Apologisng will not compensate for the insult to Chhatrapati, it will never be enough. If the Prime Minister sincerely apologizes, then he should have apologized to the nation 5-10 years ago when 40 of our soldiers were killed in Pulwama, causing widespread grief,” Raut said.
“Forty soldiers were killed at once due to your failure. Even today, killings continue in Jammu and Kashmir, and the promise of homecoming for our Kashmiri Pandits has not been fulfilled; you should apologize for that too. You have lied so many times. You should apologise to the nation every day, but you haven’t. This is Maharashtra; Maharashtra does not forgive anyone, especially in matters related to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So, you have no other option but to apologise,” he added.
Raut’s reaction came a day after PM Modi said aplogised to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of the 17th-century warrior king’s statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for me, for us Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our idol. Whatever happened in Sindhudurg a few days ago…today I bow and place my head at the feet of my beloved god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Maharasthra’s Palghar.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled around nine months ago on December 4 last year by PM Modi on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot Fort at Malvan in Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday.
CM Eknath Shinde described the incident as “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”. The fall of the statue triggered a massive political firestorm in the state as opposition slammed the state government, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the ruling BJP government, expressing disbelief that even the revered figure’s monument could fall victim to alleged corruption within the BJP’s ranks.
“It is unimaginable that the statue of our deity, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also be a subject of the BJP’s corruption,” Thackeray stated in his post.
The opposition leader further accused the BJP of attempting to shift the blame onto the Indian Navy. He pointed out a pattern of favouritism towards certain contractors, subpar quality of work, and inaugurations timed to coincide with elections rather than genuine sentiment.
On the incident, Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan, who holds the PWD portfolio, said, “A case has been filed against the proprietor of the firm M/s Artistry, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant Chetan Patil (both involved in statue work) in Sindhudurg.” Chavan said, “The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to the Navy informing them of the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps.” The Navy also said it has deputed a team to repair and restore the statue at the earliest.
“This is a political apology, a political moment.They are asking for an apology to get away with it. Apologisng will not compensate for the insult to Chhatrapati, it will never be enough. If the Prime Minister sincerely apologizes, then he should have apologized to the nation 5-10 years ago when 40 of our soldiers were killed in Pulwama, causing widespread grief,” Raut said.
“Forty soldiers were killed at once due to your failure. Even today, killings continue in Jammu and Kashmir, and the promise of homecoming for our Kashmiri Pandits has not been fulfilled; you should apologize for that too. You have lied so many times. You should apologise to the nation every day, but you haven’t. This is Maharashtra; Maharashtra does not forgive anyone, especially in matters related to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So, you have no other option but to apologise,” he added.
Raut’s reaction came a day after PM Modi said aplogised to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of the 17th-century warrior king’s statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for me, for us Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our idol. Whatever happened in Sindhudurg a few days ago…today I bow and place my head at the feet of my beloved god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologise,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Maharasthra’s Palghar.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled around nine months ago on December 4 last year by PM Modi on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot Fort at Malvan in Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday.
CM Eknath Shinde described the incident as “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”. The fall of the statue triggered a massive political firestorm in the state as opposition slammed the state government, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the ruling BJP government, expressing disbelief that even the revered figure’s monument could fall victim to alleged corruption within the BJP’s ranks.
“It is unimaginable that the statue of our deity, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would also be a subject of the BJP’s corruption,” Thackeray stated in his post.
The opposition leader further accused the BJP of attempting to shift the blame onto the Indian Navy. He pointed out a pattern of favouritism towards certain contractors, subpar quality of work, and inaugurations timed to coincide with elections rather than genuine sentiment.
On the incident, Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan, who holds the PWD portfolio, said, “A case has been filed against the proprietor of the firm M/s Artistry, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant Chetan Patil (both involved in statue work) in Sindhudurg.” Chavan said, “The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to the Navy informing them of the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps.” The Navy also said it has deputed a team to repair and restore the statue at the earliest.
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