Rahul, Kharge slam PM over statue collapse

Kicking off the party’s campaign for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the collapse of Maratha Shivaji’s statue last month. They alleged that the statue collapsed because of corruption.

Cong leaders inaugurate Kadam’s statue

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were speaking at a public meeting after inaugurating a life-size statue of late local party leader Patangrao Kadam. They said Kadam’s statue, inaugurated on Thursday, had been built by the well-known sculptor Sutar and it was going to last for a long time.

Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to Maharashtra on August 30, apologised to the 17th century Maratha king and his admirers over the statue collapse and said Shivaji was more like a god to him rather than a king or a great human being.

Addressing a rally at Sangli in Maharashtra, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said Modi should not only apologise to Shivaji but also to all Maharashtrians over the statue collapse within eight months of its inauguration at Rajkort Fort in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, on the occasion of Navy Day.

“Modi should say sorry to each and every citizen of Maharashtra for the insult caused to the legendary king when the statue at Rajkot fort collapsed on August 26,” said Rahul.

“I want to ask the Prime Minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS person who had no merit, or for the corruption in the process of its construction,” Gandhi said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the statue collapse was yet another instance of shoddy job done by the government in a hurry to impress people before elections. Kharge recalled that a bridge inaugurated by PM Modi in Ahmedabad also collapsed soon after it was thrown open for public. He said the Ram Temple in Ayodhya inaugurated by Modi with much fanfare also reported seepage after the monsoon rain.

The two Congress heavyweights were speaking at a public meeting after inaugurating a life-size statue of late local party leader Patangrao Kadam. They said Kadam’s statue, inaugurated today, had been built by the well-known sculptor Sutar and it was going to last for a long time.

Rahul Gandhi said Modi resorted to demonetisation to wipe out small and medium industries and enable big corporate houses like Adani and Ambani to amass wealth.

Kharge said Maharashtra, where cooperative sugar mills have a strong presence, had a reason to fear from Modi’s decision to entrust the cooperative portfolio to Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah would finish cooperative societies and use cooperative banks for money laundering.