Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge posted his statement on the relocation of statues of key leaders of the Independence movement as the area of relocation within the parliament complex, Prerna Sthal, was inaugurated today.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurates newly constructed ‘Prerna Sthal’ at the Parliament House complex in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 17, 2024 02:32 IST
The Congress on Sunday criticised the government’s move to relocate statues of major leaders in the Parliament House Complex as “arbitrary and unilateral”, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying such decisions made without proper discussion are against the rules and traditions of Parliament.
Kharge’s statement came after Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the newly constructed ‘Prerna Sthal’ in the Parliament House complex which now houses the statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier at different places on the premises.
“My statement on relocation of statues of major leaders in the Parliament House Complex – The statues of many great leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, have been removed from their prominent places in the Parliament House Complex and relocated to a separate corner. Removing these statues arbitrarily, without any consultation, violates the basic spirit of our democracy. There are about 50 such statues or busts throughout the entire Parliament House,” Kharge wrote on X.
Kharge claimed that the idea behind relocating the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji among others, is to ensure they are not in a prominent place where the MPs could conduct peaceful and democratic protests.
“The statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar were situated in prominent locations and of other major leaders at appropriate locations after due deliberation and consideration. Each statue and its location across the Parliament House complex holds immense value and significance. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a meditative posture located right in front of old Parliament Building held immense significance for India’s democratic polity. Members paid their respects at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, imbibing within themselves the spirit of Mahatma. It is at this place that members often conducted peaceful and democratic protests, drawing strength from their presence. The statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, too, was placed at a vantage point, conveying the powerful message that Babasaheb is extolling the generations of parliamentarians to steadfastly hold on to values and principles enshrined in the Constitution of India. Incidentally, during my student days in the mid 60s, I was in the forefront demanding the installation of statue of Babasaheb in the precincts of the Parliament House. Such concerted efforts eventually resulted in the installing of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue at the place where it was hitherto before placed. The prior placement of the Babasaheb statue also facilitated seamless movement of people paying their tributes to him on his birth and death anniversaries. All this has now been brought to naught in an arbitrary and unilateral manner,” Kharge wrote.
Pointing out that the dedicated committee for such purposes, which includes MPs from both Houses, has not been reconstituted since 2019, Kharge strongly criticised the decision to relocate the statues.
“There is a dedicated committee for installing portraits and statues of national leaders and MPs in the Parliament House Complex, called the “Committee on the Installation of Portraits and Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in the Parliament House Complex,” which includes MPs from both Houses. However, the committee has not been reconstituted since 2019. Such decisions made without any proper discussion and deliberation with relevant stakeholders are against the rules and traditions of our Parliament,” Kharge wrote.
A political row has been simmering for weeks over the decision to shift the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji. The statues moved first during the building of the new parliament — have been relocated to a new spot towards the back of the parliament complex, which was named Prerna Sthal.
While the Congress criticised the decision to remove the statues from their existing place, the Lok Sabha secretariat said the ‘Prerna Sthal’ has been constructed so that the dignitaries and other visitors coming to the Parliament House Complex could conveniently see and pay tribute to these statues in one place.
Published By:
Shweta Kumari
Published On:
Jun 17, 2024
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