'Sentiments are hurt': PM Modi apologises for collapse of Shivaji statue in Maharashtra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday apologised for the collapse of a statue of 17th-century ruler Shivaji in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district.
The 35-foot statue at the Rajkot Fort in the Malvan region collapsed on Monday afternoon amid heavy rainfall and strong winds. It was inaugurated by the prime minister on Navy Day in December.
While speaking at a public gathering in Palghar on Friday, Modi said that Shivaji was not just a ruler. “He is highly revered and worshipped,” said the prime minister. “For us, he is our aaradhya dev
He added: “I extend my apologies to all those who worship Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their revered deity. I know their sentiments are hurt.”
Modi said that when the Bharatiya Janata Party first named him as a candidate for the post of prime minister, he had visited Raigad Fort. Shivaji had made this fort his capital in 1674.
“I bowed before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue [at Raigad Fort] and sought his blessings,” the prime minister said.
The Opposition in Maharashtra had said that the statue’s collapse was an...
READ ON APP