On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed regret over the recent fall of a monument of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that was built the previous year. This is in response to the 35-foot monument of the founder of the Maratha kingdom from the 17th century that fell on August 26, afternoon, after the prime minister inaugurated it on December 4, last year. The tragedy has generated a great deal of worry and outrage throughout the state because of the warrior king’s cultural and historical significance.
Addressing a gathering in Maharashtra’s Palghar, the Prime Minister said Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for him. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us… today I bow my head and apologize 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,” he said. “Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologize to them. Our values are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity,” the PM added.
#WATCH | Palghar, Maharashtra: PM Narendra Modi speaks on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue collapse incident in Malvan
— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2024
He says, "…Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us… today I bow my head and apologise to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Our… pic.twitter.com/JhyamXj91h
Addressing a gathering in Maharashtra’s Palghar, the Prime Minister said Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for him. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us… today I bow my head and apologize 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,” he said. “Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologies to them. Our values are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity,” the PM added.
Shivaji Maharaj’s statue collapses
The statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, collapsed on August 26. The 35-foot statue collapsed at Rajkot Fort in Malvan. PM Modi had inaugurated the statue on December 4 last year on the occasion of Navy Day. He had also participated in the celebrations at the fort. Meanwhile, the statue collapse incident has snowballed into a political controversy with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) targeting the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and seeking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s resignation.
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