Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued an apology on Friday for the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which occurred on August 26. The statue, a 35-foot tribute to the founder of the Maratha Empire, was unveiled by Modi last year.
Speaking at an event in Palghar, PM Modi expressed his regret, saying, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name for us. Today I bow my head and apologies to my god Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.” He added, “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 statue, installed at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, collapsed amid heavy rainfall and strong winds that plagued the area last week. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed the incident to the extreme weather conditions.
In addition to addressing the statue incident, PM Modi criticized Congress and other Opposition parties for their attacks on freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and his ideology. He stated, “We are not those people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar. They (Opposition) are not ready to apologies; they are ready to go to the courts and fight.”
During the same event in Palghar, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadhvan Port, a significant project with an estimated cost of ₹76,000 crores. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 218 fisheries projects worth approximately ₹1,560 crores.