'This Is Atrocious': Congress Slams BJP For 'Relocating' Statues Of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar Within Parliament

In addition to Gandhi, Shivaji, and Ambedkar, the statues of tribal leader Birsa Munda and Maharana Pratap were also shifted to a lawn between the old Parliament building and the Parliament Library.

The Congress party criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji, and others were relocated within the Parliament premises. The statues were moved as part of a landscaping exercise associated with a redevelopment project, the Hindustan Times reported on Thursday. 

In addition to Gandhi, Shivaji, and Ambedkar, the statues of tribal leader Birsa Munda and warrior king Maharana Pratap were also shifted to a lawn between the old Parliament building and the Parliament Library. All the statues are in the Parliament campus are now situated in the same area. 

The Congress party condemned the relocation of these statues, calling the project "atrocious". Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh in an X post said, "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."

Pawan Khera, head of Congress's media and publicity department, attacked the BJP, stating "political motives behind the relocations". He claimed that the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were moved because voters from Maharashtra did not favour the BJP. Khera also mentioned that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was moved after the BJP did not secure a "clean sweep" in Gujarat. He posted in Hindi on X, "Just think, if they had been given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?"

Parliament Redevelopment Project Underway

The relocation of the statues is part of a broader redevelopment project aimed at revamping the Parliament premises for the maiden session of the newly elected MPs, according to Hindustan Times report. The project includes integrating the entire complex, which consists of four different buildings, to give Parliament a new look by June. 

As part of the external area redevelopment, the statues of national icons, including Gandhi, Shivanji, and Mahatma Jyotibha Phule, were moved to the lawn near Gate No 5 of the old Parliament building, which has been renamed Samvidhan Sada, as per the report. 

The statues were relocated to create a grand lawn in front of Gaja Dwar, the entrance used by the President and Prime Minister to enter the new Parliament building.