Udaipur: Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria Monday released a video statement apologising for the controversy arising from his speech about Maharana Pratap during a recent visit to Udaipur, and asked people to listen to his remarks in full. Kataria said, “I request everyone to listen to my speech from beginning to end. If the words, ‘We revived Pratap’, hurt anyone, I apologise. I had no such intention.”Kataria had said during a public programme at Dhuli Ghati in Gogunda on Dec 22 that Janata Party (which came to power in 1977) was the first to revive Maharana Pratap. He also said it was due to his initiative as an MLA that development activities began in Kumbhalgarh, Gogunda, Chavand, and Haldighati, prominent sites associated with the Maharana’s life.Several organisations protested against Kataria’s statements. Kshatriya Karni Sena’s national president Raj Shekhawat even issued death threats to him on social media. In his video message, Kataria said his intention was to highlight the work of taking stories of Maharana Pratap’s valour to every home, which the Congress never did.
