PM should apologise to every Maharashtrian: Rahul Gandhi

Sangli: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to every Maharashtrian for the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sindhudurg district, and also say sorry for demonetisation, anti-farmer Bills and GST.

Gandhi was speaking at a public meeting here after inaugurating a statue of late party leader Patangrao Kadam.

“I want to ask the prime minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS person who had no merit, or for the corruption in the proces,” he said.

With the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government in Maharashtra coming under fire over the collapse of the statue last month, the prime minister during his subsequent visit to the state said he apologised to the iconic king, his “deity”, and also the people whose sentiments were hurt.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar attended the function in Sangli, a city in western Maharashtra and a traditional Congress bastion.

But ally Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was conspicuous by his absence. Notably, Sena (UBT) candidate had lost to Congress rebel Vishal Patil in the Sangli Lok Sabha seat.

Modi should answer why all contracts are given only to “Adani and Ambani” and why he was running the government only for “two people”, Gandhi further said.

The prime minister has not apologised for the “anti-farmer laws” which were later withdrawn due to protests, he said, and demanded that Modi apologise for demonetisation and the “wrong” Goods and Services Tax.

Gandhi further said the Congress ideology was the DNA of Maharashtra, and assured that he will be present during the coming Assembly elections campaign wherever required.

The Prime Minister did not visit Manipur which is

facing a civil war-like situation as the BJP itself has set the northeastern state on fire, he alleged.

Small and medium businesses were being finished for the benefit of “two people”, he said, adding that Adani and Ambani groups cannot generate employment.