The Congress party attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji and others were relocated within the premises of the Parliament. The statues were moved due to a landscaping exercise, part of a redevelopment project.
In addition to Gandhi, Shivaji, and Ambedkar, the statues of tribal leader Birsa Munda and warrior king Maharana Pratap have also been relocated to a lawn situated between the old Parliament building and the Parliament Library. As a result, all statues within the Parliament campus are now situated in the same area.
The Congress party slammed the move to relocate the statues of prominent leader, calling the project as “atrocious”.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X, “Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious.”
Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious. pic.twitter.com/NA12QjCBAK
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 6, 2024
Pawan Khera, head of the Congress’s media and publicity department, criticized the BJP, alleging that following unfavourable election results in Maharashtra, the party relocated the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar from their original location in Parliament. He also claimed that after the BJP’s less-than-expected performance in Gujarat, they moved the statue of Mahatma Gandhi from its original position in Parliament.
“Just think, if they had been given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?” Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.
▪️अयोध्या ने भाजपा को हराया तो ये लोग राम भक्तों को गरियाने लगे।
▪️महाराष्ट्र के वोटर्स ने भाजपा को वोट नहीं दिया तो संसद में छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज और बाबा साहिब अंबेडकर की मूर्तियाँ अपने मूल स्थान से हटा दीं।
▪️गुजरात में इन्हें 26/26 सीटें नहीं मिलीं तो महात्मा गांधी की मूर्ति… https://t.co/53QWiLr3iL— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) June 6, 2024
Parliament Redevelopment Project Underway
The Parliament is undergoing a redevelopment project aimed at refurbishing the premises in preparation for the inaugural session of newly elected MPs. By June, the Parliament will showcase a transformed appearance as efforts are underway to seamlessly integrate the entire complex, comprising four distinct buildings.
As part of the external area redevelopment, statues of national icons, including Gandhi, Shivaji, and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, have been relocated to a lawn near Gate No. 5 of the old Parliament building, now designated as Samvidhan Sadan. This move was made to create a spacious lawn in front of Gaja Dwar, the entrance frequently used by the President and the Prime Minister to access the new Parliament building.
