(LiveMint)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said stern action should be taken against people guilty of vandalising statues, which have been reported in states including Tripura, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. In a strongly worded message, the prime minister condemned the incidents of statue vandalism. The home ministry has also told state governments that they “must take all necessary measures” to prevent such incidents.
“The prime minister spoke to home minister Rajnath Singh in this regard and expressed his strong disapproval of such incidents… Persons indulging in such acts must be sternly dealt with and booked under relevant provisions of law,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The incidents of statue vandalism began from Belonia in south Tripura on Monday when a statue of Vladimir Lenin was destroyed, allegedly by supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The incident took place two days after the BJP swept the Tripura elections with a two-thirds majority, putting an end to 25 years of Left rule. Analysts say that though vandalism by a mob in Tripura could be by overzealous people opposed to the Left ideology, the incidents in other parts of the country were thoughtfully planned and executed by supporters of different political ideologies as a reaction to the first incident.
