Prime Minister Narendra Modi today apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji and all those who were hurt by the collapse of the legendary ruler's statue at Rajkot Fort, eight months after it was inaugurated.
"The moment I landed here, I first apologised to Shivaji over the statue collapse. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse," PM Modi said in Maharashtra's Palghar.
"Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them. Our values are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity," he added.
A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state's Sindhudurg district collapsed on August 26. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.
The public works body PWD stated that the rusting nuts and bolts posed a risk to the statue's stability, yet the warnings were ignored, say critics.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has accused the ruling government of corruption in the matter of the statue construction and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Amid a raging controversy, Eknath Shinde on Thursday said he was ready to put his head on the Maratha warrior's feet and apologise 100 times.
The Prime Minister also slipped in a swipe at the Opposition for "insulting and abusing the son of the land" Veer Savarkar.
"Our values are different, we are not those people who keep abusing and insulting the great son of Mother India, the son of this land, Veer Savarkar. They are not ready to apologize, they are ready to go to the courts and fight," he added, taking an indirect swipe at Rahul Gandhi.
Mr Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is fighting a criminal defamation case filed by VD Savarkar's grandson, Satyaki Savarkar. The Congress leader is accused of making false allegations against the Hindutva ideologue during his address in London.