Rahul Gandhi indicated that the Prime Minister might have apologised after realising that there was corruption in the construction of the 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday doubled down on his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Maharashtra, saying it was an insult to the revered 17th century warrior king.
Speaking at an event in Sangli, Gandhi alleged that the contract to construct the statue was given to an RSS worker while lambasting PM Modi over his apology on the sensitive issue.
“The statue collapsed just a few months after it was constructed. This is an insult to Shivaji Maharaj,” the Leader of the Opposition said in the poll-bound state.
Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy is a sensitive issue in Maharashtra, and the incident has left the ruling Mahayuti government red-faced as the statue was unveiled by PM Modi just nine months ago.
Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister for apologising over the incident, Rahul Gandhi said, “One who does wrong, apologises. If you haven’t done anything wrong, why would you apologise?”
Gandhi indicated that the Prime Minister might have apologised after realising that there was corruption in the construction of the 35-foot statue.
“I want to understand as to why he apologised. First, PM Modi gave the contract to construct the statue to an RSS cadre. Maybe he felt he shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
The contractor, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant, Chetan Patil, have been arrested in the case. The opposition has alleged that Apte was a friend of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son.
Continuing his tirade, Gandhi said, “The second reason could be corruption. The PM may have thought that the contractor did a fraud and looted the money of the people of Maharashtra. The third reason could be that you (PM) built the statue to commemorate Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy, but could not make sure that it stands firm”.