New Delhi: Statues of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji, among others, have been shifted within the Parliament complex as part of a landscaping exercise, a move that was sharply criticized by the Congress on Thursday.
The statues of tribal leaders Birsa Munda and Maharana Pratap have also been shifted to a lawn between the old Parliament building and the Parliament Library. All the idols are now at one place.
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, "The statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar have been removed from their prominent places in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious.,
Attacking the BJP, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Kheda said that when the voters of Maharashtra did not vote for the BJP, the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed from their original places in the Parliament.
He said, when they did not get a clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi from its original place in the Parliament.
"Just think, if they were given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?" Kheda said in a post in Hindi on X.
When the 18th Lok Sabha convenes for its first session in June, the Parliament complex will look new as work is underway to integrate the entire complex comprising four separate buildings.
As part of the redevelopment of the outer areas, statues of national icons including Gandhi, Shivaji and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule were to be moved to a lawn near Gate No. 5 of the old Parliament House, which has been named Constitution House. ,
This will pave the way for the creation of a spacious lawn in front of the Gaj Gate, which the President and Prime Minister use to enter the new Parliament building.The lawn can also be used for official ceremonies such as the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, usually during the budget session.
The statues of tribal leaders Birsa Munda and Maharana Pratap have also been shifted to a lawn between the old Parliament building and the Parliament Library. All the idols are now at one place.
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, "The statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar have been removed from their prominent places in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious.,
Attacking the BJP, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Kheda said that when the voters of Maharashtra did not vote for the BJP, the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed from their original places in the Parliament.
He said, when they did not get a clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi from its original place in the Parliament.
"Just think, if they were given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?" Kheda said in a post in Hindi on X.
When the 18th Lok Sabha convenes for its first session in June, the Parliament complex will look new as work is underway to integrate the entire complex comprising four separate buildings.
As part of the redevelopment of the outer areas, statues of national icons including Gandhi, Shivaji and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule were to be moved to a lawn near Gate No. 5 of the old Parliament House, which has been named Constitution House. ,
This will pave the way for the creation of a spacious lawn in front of the Gaj Gate, which the President and Prime Minister use to enter the new Parliament building.The lawn can also be used for official ceremonies such as the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, usually during the budget session.
