Statue vandalism leads to war of ideologies; BJP leaders call for 'swift, stern' action, Opposition cries foul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday “strongly disapproved” incidents of vandalism of statues  that have been reported from various parts of the country, and spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh about dealing with the perpetrators.

A statue of  Vladimir Lenin was toppled  in Tripura’s Belonia town on Monday, following which a statue of Dravidian activist Periyar was vandalised  on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a BJP office in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore was attacked and Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s bust was vandalised in Kolkata’s Kalighat.

Here’s how various political parties and leaders have reacted to the incidents of vandalism:

H Raja, BJP national secretary

Tuesday’s incident came hours after BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, H Raja, said that EV Ramasamy, commonly known as ‘Periyar’, would meet a fate similar to Lenin. Raja slammed Periyar  in a post he put up on Facebook, which was later deleted. “Who is Lenin? What is his connection with India? What is the connection between Communism and India? Lenin’s statue was broken down in Tripura. Today, it is Lenin’s statue in Tripura. Tomorrow, it will be the caste zealot EV Ramasamy’s (Periyar) statue in Tamil Nadu,” he had written.

On Wednesday, Raja said the Facebook post was not written by him, but by an another administrator.

The post on my facebook page was done by one of the admins without my permission. As soon as I came to know about it, I deleted the post.We have to respond through statements and opinions not through violence. It is not correct to deface statue of Periyar: H Raja,BJP (file pic) pic.twitter.com/pIF2BzJqhm

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018

I have removed that admin who posted the comment about #Periyar and have deleted the post. I totally condemn vandalizing statues and violence. I express heartfelt regret for my Facebook post: H Raja,BJP pic.twitter.com/e8FTPHUFEm

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018

D Jayakumar, Tamil Nadu minister

Jayakumar said the state government “strongly condemned” Raja’s comments. “This is the land of Periyar, MGR and Amma; we will not accept his views. If he (Raja) had not withdrawn his comments, we would have taken action,” Jayakumar said.

We strongly condemn his comments. This is land of Periyar, MGR & Amma, we will not accept his views. If he had not withdrawn his comments, we would have taken action: #TamilNadu Minister D Jayakumar on BJP leader H Raja's comments on Periyar pic.twitter.com/mgiq0KscLP

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018

Amit Shah, BJP president In a series of tweets, the BJP chief distanced the party away from the acts of vandalism, and said “severe” action will be taken against perpetrators found to be associated with the BJP.

As a party, we in the BJP believe that a wide range of ideas and ideologies can coexist in India. This is exactly how the makers of our Constitution envisioned our great nation to be.
India’s diversity and the vibrant spirit of debate and discussion is what strengthens us.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 7, 2018

The recent issue on destroying of statues is extremely unfortunate. We as a party do not support the bringing down of anybody’s statue.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 7, 2018

The recent issue on destroying of statues is extremely unfortunate. We as a party do not support the bringing down of anybody’s statue.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 7, 2018

I have spoken to the party units in both Tamil Nadu and Tripura. Any person associated with the BJP found to be involved with destroying any statue will face severe action from the party.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 7, 2018

Siddharth Nath Singh, BJP BJP’s West Bengal in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh said that those guilty should be arrested immediately.

Syama Prasad Mukherjee is a patriot who laid his life for the nation. He is son of #WestBengal. Those guilty should be arrested immediately. CM Mamata Banerjee should punish those who vandalised his statue. We strongly condemn this incident: Sidharth Nath Singh, WB BJP In-charge pic.twitter.com/4lA9vr00nk

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018

Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, West Bengal minister

Chattopadhyay said six people have been arrested so far and that the government will repair the broken statue.

One incident of vandalism cannot be replied with another similar incident, we condemn both. We have arrested six people and we will repair it(SP Mukherjee's bust in Kalighat) as well: Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, West Bengal Minister pic.twitter.com/80hD8PDAay

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018

Union Ministry of Home Affairs The Union Ministry of Home Affairs took “serious note” of these instances of vandalism and said the perpetrators will be dealt with according to the law. The  official statement  read: “Incidents of toppling of statutes have been reported from certain parts of the country. MHA has taken serious note of such incidents of vandalism. The home minister has expressed his strong disproval of such incidents. MHA has asked the states that they must take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents. Persons indulging in such acts must be sternly dealt with, and booked under relevant provisions of law. Honourable prime minister also spoke to the home minister in this regard.” Kamal Haasan, Makkal Needhi Maiam Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan said there is no need for police protection around the Periyar statue, as “we Tamilians” can protect it, adding that the incident is being used to divert attention from the Cauvery water-sharing issue. “If the government is serious, it should take criminal action against all involved in violence,” he said.

#BREAKING | If the govt is serious, it should take criminal action against all involved in violence: @ikamalhaasan | #NetaKamal #StatueWar pic.twitter.com/qkjvJwEnmB

— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 7, 2018