Rahul Gandhi: Shivaji statue fell because BJP’s ideology was wrong

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unveils a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Bhagwa Chowk in Kolhapur on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Promising to scrap the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the BJP government, saying there was no use of bowing before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj after destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country.

Gandhi on Saturday unveiled a new statue of Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, in Kolhapur. Later in the day, he addressed the Samvidhan Sammelan there, vowing that Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc will also bring out laws to enable a caste-based census. "We will ensure in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that the 50 per cent cap on reservation is removed and no power can stop it. Removing this 50 per cent limit is necessary to protect the Constitution," he said. The statement was seen as his party's main poll plank for the Assembly elections due in a matter of weeks in Maharashtra.

Gandhi criticised the ruling BJP over the recent collapse of a Shivaji statue at the Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district, saying this was an omen that the ruling party's "intentions were not right". The 35-foot statue in Sindhudurg had been unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day. It collapsed on August 26, 2024.

"There is no use of bowing before bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country," Gandhi said on Saturday, in reference to PM Narendra Modi, who had apologised for the statue's collapse. "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," Modi had said on August 30 during his visit to Maharashtra. The PM was also in the state on Saturday, inaugurating several projects across the state ahead of the state polls.

Gandhi further said the Indian Constitution was a manifestation of what Shivaji Maharaj stood for, and that the Maratha warrior king's message to the world was that the country belongs to everyone. "Their [ruling party's] intentions were not right. The statue gave them the message that if you build Shivaji Maharaj's statue, you have to follow his ideals. Which is why the statue collapsed, because their ideology is wrong," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)