Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, calling it a result of nepotism and corruption under his watch.

Addressing a rally in Sangli, Rahul took a swipe at Modi for his apology last week after the collapse of the statue.

“Why did he apologise? Was it because the contract was awarded to someone from the RSS? Was it for the corruption that took place in the making of the statue? Or was it for insulting an icon like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj? Whatever be the reason, the Prime Minister and the BJP should apologise to Maharashtra for their behaviour and corruption,” Rahul said, using the collapse as an instance of favouritism and corruption in the Modi regime.

Earlier in his speech, the Congress MP had dwelt at length on the “capture of institutions by the RSS” during what has come to be known as the “Modi decade”.

“Wherever they can, they plant their people, be it the Election Commission, educational institutions, the legal system, bureaucracy... They do not value merit. If you are from the RSS, they will accommodate you. If you are not from the RSS, then there is no space for you.”

Rahul also dwelt on the caste census that he has been pushing forcefully over the past year in particular, narrating to the gathering how the push from the INDIA bloc has forced the BJP and the RSS to come around to considering it after objecting to it a few months ago.

Once again, he sought to set the record straight that the caste census is to help policymakers get a “snapshot” of the reality — the actual caste-wise numbers and the access different categories have to resources and opportunities across the country.

Sounding the poll bugle for the Maharashtra Assembly elections due later this year, Rahul said the battle ahead was an ideological one between the politics of hate and divisiveness on one side and inclusiveness on the other.

While NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar was present, the Shiv Sena (UBT), a key constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, skipped the rally, “peeved” by the Congress’s reluctance to name a chief ministerial face ahead of the polls. Even Pawar is not in favour of unveiling a chief ministerial face before the elections. The Sena (UBT) candidate had lost to Congress rebel Vishal Patil in the Sangli Lok Sabha seat.

Seeking to project the Congress as a continuum of the ideology of Maharashtrian icons, Rahul said what his party was doing today was what Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and Shivaji did in their times. “If you read them and understand their ideas, you will realise that all their ideas are incorporated in our Constitution which is under daily attack from the BJP,” he said.

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

The Prime Minister has not apologised for the “anti-farmer laws” which were later withdrawn because of protests, he said, and demanded that Modi apologise for demonetisation and the “wrong” goods and services tax. The PM 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.

Rahul said he would be present during the coming Assembly elections campaign wherever required.

Additional reporting by PTI