Rahul Gandhi unveils Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Kolhapur

File picture of Leader of Oppostion in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holding up the Constitution of India book
| Photo Credit: PTI

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Kolhapur on Saturday (October 5, 2024).

Months after a controversy erupted after the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra’s Malvan, Mr. Gandhi unveiled an equestrian bronze statue of the Maratha warrior king, which is 20 feet tall. The statue weighs around 2,000 kilograms.

“While we inaugurate the statue, we must not fight over it and try to follow what they fought for,” said Mr. Gandhi. “The Constitution of India came into being from what Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj thought. If you are talking about Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, then you must respect the Constitution.”

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi being received by Maharashtra Congress leaders on his arrival at the Kolhapur Airport, Maharashtra
| Photo Credit:
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He advised Congress workers to protect the thought of Shivaji Maharaj. “The Congress party is fighting with the same thought that Shivaji Maharaj fought for… Shivaji Maharaj derived his thoughts from the people of Maharashtra,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi is in Kolhapur ahead of the Assembly elections in the State, scheduled for later this year.

(With inputs from ANI)