Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the BJP-led government, saying there was no use bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people.
He also alleged that Shivaji Maharaj’s statue collapsed in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra as the intentions and ideology of those in power were wrong.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was addressing a public meeting before unveiling a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra.
“There is no use of bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country,” he said.
His comments were apparently targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had apologised to Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of his statue.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity,” Mr Modi had said on August 30 during his visit to Maharashtra.
The 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj, which collapsed on August 26, was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day.
“There are two ideologies in the country – one which protects the Constitution that talks of equality and unity. This is Shivaji Maharaj’s ideology. The second ideology is the one that is into destroying the Constitution,” Mr Gandhi said.
“They get up in the morning and plan how to destroy the Constitution, which is based on the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj. They attack the institutions of the country, scare and threaten people and then bow before Shivaji’s statue. There is no use of (doing) it. If you pray before Shivaji’s statue, then you have to protect the Constitution,” the Congress leader, said, adding that the intentions are visible and cannot be hidden.
“They built Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and, in a few days, it collapsed. Their intentions were not right. The statue gave them the message that if you built Shivaji Maharaj’s statue then you have to follow his ideals. Which is why the statue collapsed because their ideology is wrong,” he said.
When Shivaji Maharaj was to be coronated, it was the same ideology that did not allow his coronation. This is not new, he said.
“This is the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought with. Congress is fighting with the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought with,” Mr Gandhi added.
Chhatrapati Shivaji’s message to the world was that the country belongs to everyone. The Constitution is a symbol of his ideals, he said.
“If people like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformer Shahu Maharaj were not there, the Constitution also would not have existed,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
On his arrival in Kolhapur this morning, Mr Gandhi was welcomed by top Congress leaders in Maharashtra, including the party’s state unit chief Nana Patole and former minister Balasaheb Thorat.
Mr Gandhi also interacted with Ajit Sandhe, a tempo driver.
Meanwhile, BJP workers staged a protest and showed black flags to Mr Gandhi over his remarks on freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar.