Maharashtra: Rahul Gandhi Unveils 20-Foot-Tall Chhatrapati Shivaji Statue In Kolhapur

Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi unveiled a 20-foot-tall equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Kolhapur on Saturday, October 5, 2024.

The bronze statue, weighing around 2,000 kilograms, was revealed months after a controversy surrounding the collapse of another Shivaji statue in Malvan, Maharashtra.

While unveiling the statue, Gandhi urged people not to fight over it but to follow the values Shivaji Maharaj stood for. "While we inaugurate the statue, we must not fight over it, and try to follow what they fought for," he said.

He linked Shivaji's ideals to the Indian Constitution, stating, "The Constitution of India came into being from what Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj thought. If you are talking about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, then you must respect the Constitution," while holding up a copy of the red Constitution book.

Gandhi also encouraged Congress workers to protect Shivaji's ideology, noting, "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 further added, "The Shivaji statue that collapsed is a message that you must protect his thinking."

His visit to Kolhapur is crucial as it precedes the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, particularly in the influential sugar belt of western Maharashtra, where Kolhapur is located.

The city is also tied to Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, a key figure in Maharashtra's social reform movement. Gandhi is also set to hold a Samvidhan Sammelan later in the day.

During his speech, Gandhi discussed the challenges in India's education system, arguing that children are often encouraged to dream of becoming professionals like doctors, engineers, or lawyers but lack access to opportunities, limiting India's potential as a superpower.

He also criticised economic disparities, claiming, "Ambani can 'open any business he wants,' but small business people struggle to secure funding for expansion."

He questioned the representation of Dalits in India's industrial sector, stating, "Successful public sectors that are competing with private sectors are being privatised. It's not called privatisation. It's called de-reservation."

Gandhi further highlighted the lack of representation for Dalits, Adivasis, and backward caste communities in senior management positions in top corporates, media, judiciary, and intelligence agencies in India.

He said the priority should be protecting the Constitution and breaking the 50% ceiling on reservation, asserting, "The First step is to break the artificial ceiling of 50% and second step is to take a caste census. Caste census is the X-ray of the society. We know there is a pain. We want to know what the reason of the pain is."

Confident in Congress' future plans, he declared, "No power can stop us from passing the caste census in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. BJP is scared of the truth. They don't want the people to know who has the power and finance of the country. BJP has closed all the roads, but we want to re-open the roads."

Gandhi concluded by committing his support to the marginalized, saying, "Wherever my help is required to fight for the 90%, I will be there."