Those vandalising statues must be booked under sedition law: Mayawati

Lucknow: Those disturbing peace and harmony by vandalising statues should be booked under the sedition law, BSP chief Mayawati demanded on Thursday, a day after a statue of Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar was damaged in Meerut on Wednesday.

There have also been several other instances of statues of prominent leaders being vandalised from across the country in recent days.

"Such acts are not in the interest of the country as they weaken the democratic and secular fabric as well as harm communal harmony," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a statement in Lucknow.

Now even in Uttar Pradesh, in Meerut, the statue of Baba Saheb Ambedkar was vandalised, she added.

She urged followers of the leaders, whose statues were vandalised, to exercise restraint while demanding "prompt and strict action" against those harming harmony in the society.

"Mere tall claims and rhetoric by the central and state governments against such forces will not serve any purpose. Action needs to be taken against them under the sedition law," the BSP chief stressed.

Demanding proper security to the memorials, statues and parks set up in the memory of Dalit and other ideologues, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati alleged if no action was taken, it would mean these incidents were part of a BJP-RSS conspiracy.

On the occassion of International Women's Day, the BSP president asked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to implement the schemes meant for the welfare, progress and security of women, with a special focus on those belonging to the Dalit and deprived sections.