Won't tolerate bulldozing luminary statues: WB CM after Lenin sculpture knock down

Kolkata: Condemning the toppling of Communist revolutionary Lenin's statue in Tripura close on the heels of the BJP coming to power, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made it clear that she would not tolerate bulldozing the statues of luminaries. 

According to her, the government's job is not to pull down statues. She claimed that her party did not resort to atrocities on the CPI(M) even after coming to power after 34 years. 

Also Read: Poll aftermath: Lenin statue knocked down in Tripura, Rajnath Singh intervenes

However, the state BJP supported the act.

Addressing a rally at Patrasayor in Bankura, Mamata said, "I have come to power. But this does not mean that my job is to kill anyone or attack anyone or demolish the statue of a luminary. Barely three days ago they came to power blinking with a vote percentage of 0.43 per cent only which they have in addition. Tripura is not big even like Bankura district." 

The Trinamool Congress supremo added that Tripura does not even have the half of the voters Bankura have. 

"In Howrah, the number of voters is nearly 38 lakhs. But in Tripura it is around 32 lakhs," she mentioned while pointing out that there were many complaints including using money and muscle power in the assembly elections by the BJP to grab Tripura.

Lashing out at the BJP, Mamata said, "But if you would have thought you would pull down the statues of Marx, Lenin, Gandhiji, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda just because you have come to power then we will not tolerate it."

She claimed, "I also fought the CPI(M). We also came to power after 34 years. Remember, our slogan was Bodla Noy, Bodol Chai (We want change, not the revenge). That is why we did not unleash any torture on the CPI(M) despite their atrocities because it is not our nature and it is not democracy. They are claiming that they are feeling elated after the vandalism. No one is protesting against it. But I will do it. We will do it."

The Trinamool chief further said, "I have ideological battle with the CPI(M). It will certainly be there. Like I do not support their atrocities, I also do not endorse the atrocities of the BJP." 

However, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh endorsed the demolition of Lenin state. 
He said, "An idea can not be eliminated through vandalism. It is not the party of democracy. But this incident is the outburst of the people of Tripura who tolerated torture for the past 25 years silently." 

He added, "Nine BJP workers were murdered while four RSS workers were kidnapped. Now a new party has come to power there. They CPI(M) should get a little bit of taste of it. Did they think it will be totally vegetarian? There is no reason to feel sad."