VP unveils Prerna Sthal, Jairam questions intent
New Delhi, June 16
Amid a raging political row over the relocation of statues of national heroes, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday inaugurated Prerna Sthal, a new spot that will henceforth house the statues of freedom fighters and Indian icons led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla who was present at the inaugural, advised the Congress-led Opposition to stop playing politics on the matter.
The relocation of the statues, Birla said, had been done after consultations with all stakeholders and was part of a landscaping and beautification exercise.
The statues of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar, Devi Lal, among other tall leaders have been relocated to Prerna Sthal in a move the Opposition has questioned.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said with the shifting of the statues, Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations would not have the same scale and significance in the Parliament complex because his statue no longer occupies a distinctive place.
“According to the LS website, Parliament’s Committee on Portraits and Statues last met on December 18, 2018. It was not even reconstituted during the 17th LS which also functioned for the first time without the post of Deputy Speaker. Today, a major reconfiguration of statues in the Parliament complex is being inaugurated. Clearly it is a decision taken by the ruling regime unilaterally,” Jairam said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the move to shift statues.
