CM slams razing of Lenin statue, says won’t tolerate such acts

Kolkata: Condemning the pulling down of Communist revolutionary Lenin’s statue in Tripura close on the heels of the BJP coming to power, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made it clear that she would not tolerate the act of bulldozing the statues of luminaries.

According to her, the government’s job is not to pull down statues. She claimed her party did not resort to atrocities on the CPI(M) even after coming to power after 34 years. The state BJP, however, supported the act.

“I have come to power. But it does not mean my job is to kill anyone or attack anyone or demolish the statue of a luminary. Barely three days ago, they came to power blinking with a vote percentage of 0.43 per cent only which they have in addition. Tripura is not big even like Bankura district,” Ms Banerjee said addressing a rally at Patrasayor in Bankura.

Lashing out at the BJP, Ms Banerjee, “But if you would have thought you would pull down the statues of Marx, Lenin, Gandhiji, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda just because you have come to power then we will not tolerate it.”

“I also fought the CPI(M). We also came to power after 34 years. Remember, our slogan was Bodla Noy, Bodol Chai (We want change, not the revenge). That is why we did not even unleash minimum torture on the CPI(M) despite their atrocities because it is not our nature and it is not democracy. They are claiming that they are feeling elated after the vandalism. No one is protesting against it. But I will do it. We will do it,” she added

The five-foot-tall fibre-glass statue of Vladimir Lenin, which was unveiled by CPI(M) politburo member Prakash Karat a few months ago, was on Tuesday pulled down allegedly by BJP workers at the College Square in Belonia in South Tripura district.

“I have ideological battle with the CPI(M). It will certainly be there. Like I do not support their atrocities, I also do not endorse the atrocities of the BJP,” the Trinamul chief added.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh, however, endorsed the toppling of Lenin state. “An idea can not be eliminated through vandalism. It is not the party of democracy. But this incident is the outburst of the people of Tripura who tolerated torture by the CPI(M) for the past 25 years silently,” he said.

“Nine BJP workers were murdered while four RSS workers were kidnapped there. Now a new party has come to power there. They CPI(M) should get a little bit of taste of it. Did they think it will be totally vegetarian? There is no reason to feel sad,” the BJP leader added.