Political quarrel after saffron BR Ambedkar statue in UP's Badaun painted back to blue
ABP News Bureau | 10 Apr 2018 08:31 PM (IST)
freshly installed 5-foot-tall statue of Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar in saffron jacket in Badaun district of western UP was repainted blue today amid questions over the choice of a colour associated with Hindutva.
The saffron-attire statue in Kuwargaav village was a replacement for a smaller Ambedkar statue that was damaged Friday night by some anti-social elements. However, the local administration had it re-painted blue this morning, an official said.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Parasnath Maurya said "the previous statue of Babasaheb, shortlisted by a committee of the police and district administration, was barely three feet high. Later, a saffron statue was selected. The cost of this statue was Rs 22,000 and it was paid for by the committee."
Asked about the saffron hue, the SDM said "the committee members had brought blue paint along, but the statue was installed before giving it a blue coat. Today, the statue has been repainted in blue."
However, the incident, reminiscent of an earlier episode where the state Haj Committee office boundary wall was painted saffron and then repainted white, prompted opposition parties to take pot-shots at the ruling BJP, which has often been accused of 'saffronisation'.
The saffron-attire statue in Kuwargaav village was a replacement for a smaller Ambedkar statue that was damaged Friday night by some anti-social elements. However, the local administration had it re-painted blue this morning, an official said.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Parasnath Maurya said "the previous statue of Babasaheb, shortlisted by a committee of the police and district administration, was barely three feet high. Later, a saffron statue was selected. The cost of this statue was Rs 22,000 and it was paid for by the committee."
Asked about the saffron hue, the SDM said "the committee members had brought blue paint along, but the statue was installed before giving it a blue coat. Today, the statue has been repainted in blue."
However, the incident, reminiscent of an earlier episode where the state Haj Committee office boundary wall was painted saffron and then repainted white, prompted opposition parties to take pot-shots at the ruling BJP, which has often been accused of 'saffronisation'.
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