Kolhapur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that there would have been no Constitution if people like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shahu Maharaj were not there. The remarks came during an event in Maharashtra's Kolhapur where the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi unveiled statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Slamming BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent incident involving the collapse of Shivaji's statue, Rahul said that there was no use for them to bow before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people and destroying Constitution, institutions.

He also criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the recent collapse of a statue of Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district. He stated that the BJP's ideology is flawed. "There is no use of bowing before bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country," Gandhi said.

"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 35-foot statue collapsed on August 26, just a few days after being unveiled by Modi on December 4, 2023, during Navy Day celebrations.

Gandhi emphasised that Chhatrapati Shivaji's message was about inclusivity, stating that the country belongs to everyone. He added that the Indian Constitution reflects the values that Shivaji Maharaj stood for, noting that without leaders like Shivaji and Shahu Maharaj, the Constitution might not have come into existence.

Agency