Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday tendered an apology to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the people of Maharashtra for the collapse of the 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior on August 26, eight months after it was inaugurated, in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The incident has turned into a major political issue ahead of the state Assembly elections with the opposition alleging corruption in the contract given to build the statue. The PM said that Shivaji Maharaj is not just a king, but he is “aradhya dev” whom “we worship and draw inspiration from”.
The PM laid the foundation stone of the Vadhvan Port project worth around Rs 76,000 crore in Palghar. Addressing the gathering at Palghar after launching the Rs 76,000 crore Vadhvan Port project, Mr. Modi said, “In 2013 when my party declared me as the PM candidate, the first thing I did was to visit Raigad Fort. I bowed in reverence before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”
Mr. Modi apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji and all those who were hurt by the collapse of the legendary ruler's statue at Rajkot Fort. “The moment I landed here, I first apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for the collapse of his statue. For me, my colleagues, and everyone, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a king. He is highly revered and worshipped. For us, he is our aaradhya dev. I also extend my apologies to all those who worship Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their revered deity. I know their sentiments are hurt,” he said.
Without naming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has made disparaging remarks against Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar, Mr. Modi said that the people of Maharashtra should remain wary of those who disrespect Veer Savarkar and feel no remorse for it.
The PM’s statement was also an indication that the Centre is not happy about the way the state government handled the issue. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has accused the ruling government of corruption in the matter and demanded the resignation of chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. According to reports, the Centre has already expressed its unhappiness to the Maharashtra government after which chief minister Eknath Shinde has apologised for the statue collapse.
Mr. Modi arrived in Mumbai, where he addressed the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) at the Jio Convention Center, before going to Palghar for launching the port project. Vadhvan Port will be India’s largest deep-water port.
Calling the day as historic for the state and India’s development journey, the Prime Minister said that the central government has taken major steps for the growth of Maharashtra in the last 10 years. “Viksit Maharashtra” is the most crucial element for Viksit Bharat’s resolution, he said.
“The state has the potential and resources to grow due to its coastal proximity, holding immense possibilities for the future. The Vadhvan Port will be the country’s largest container port and will be counted among the world’s deep water ports. It will become an epicenter of trade and industrial development for Maharashtra and country,” Mr. Modi said.
The PM also laid the foundation stone of 218 fisheries projects worth around Rs 1,560 crore. He launched the national rollout of the Vessel Communication and Support system, laid the foundation stone for important fishery infrastructure projects including development, upgradation and modernization of fishing harbours, fish landing centers and construction of fish markets. He also handed out transponder sets and Kisan Credit Cards to fishermen beneficiaries.
The PM further said that his government has given its approval to develop the Dighi Port Industrial Area. “It is an occasion of double happiness for the people of Maharashtra as the industrial area will be developed in Raigad, the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s empire. Hence, Dighi Port will become an identity of Maharashtra and a symbol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s dreams. It will encourage tourism and eco-resort,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi addressed the Global Fintech Fest, where he said that his government is doing everything it can at the policy level to boost the fintech industry. He gave examples of doing away with Angel Tax, allocating Rs One lakh crores to encourage research and innovation in the country and implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Hailing India’s fintech innovation, the PM said, “Earlier foreign guests visiting India used to be amazed by its cultural diversity, now they are amazed by its fintech diversity as well.”
Cautioning about the dangers of a parallel economy for the world, the PM remarked that Fintech has played an impactful role in denting such a system and credited the emergence of transparency. He underlined that the trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile have broken down the mentality of ‘Cash is King’ and made way for approximately half of the digital transactions in the world taking place in India. He expressed confidence that India’s Fintech ecosystem will play a huge role in providing a quality lifestyle to the people of India.
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