Kolkata, August 30: The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) condemned the destruction of a statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Durgapur, located in the Paschim Bardhaman district, on Sunday. They demanded its reinstatement within 24 hours.
The district Congress leadership accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of vandalizing the statue and discarding it in the nearby forest. They warned local authorities that if the statue is not restored to its rightful place within the stipulated time, they would initiate a significant protest. However, local BJP MLA Chandrashekhar Banerjee dismissed these allegations.
He claimed that a faction of Congress was colluding with the Trinamool Congress and was responsible for the statue’s destruction.
Reports indicate that a large statue of Nehru was situated in front of a meditation center next to the Harshvardhan Primary School. Congress alleged that the statue was removed using a crane and thrown into the forest to make space for the Raksha Bandhan celebrations.
Expressing strong discontent over the incident, Congress questioned, “Why is the first Prime Minister of the country being insulted in this manner?”
Debesh Chakraborty, the district Congress president, stated, “The statue of Jawaharlal Nehru was uprooted by a crane and discarded in the forest. The Raksha Bandhan ceremony was held there, and the MLA from Durgapur East was also present. We will not tolerate this insult to our former Prime Minister. We are giving the police 24 hours to take action; otherwise, we will start a movement.”
Meanwhile, MLA Chandrashekhar Banerjee asserted, “There are two factions within Congress. One faction has secretly allied with the Trinamool Congress, which is responsible for breaking the statue. Congress is trying to blame the BJP while staging protests. Let me remind Debesh Chakraborty that during the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) initiative, three to four union offices were demolished, but with my intervention, the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was saved. The BJP is not behind the destruction of Nehru’s statue either. We also want exemplary punishment for those responsible.”
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