In the city of Belony, Tripura, in eastern India, supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the demolition of the monument to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, which was established five years ago in the center of College Square.
The incident occurred on Monday, March 5, two days after the right-wing BJP won the parliamentary elections (it took 43 of 59 seats) in the northeastern state, where until then for 25 years the power was in the hands of the Marxist party CPI ( M), reports The Indian Express.
In South Tripura's Belonia, a statue of Lenin razed amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. This, less than 48 hours after the BJP stormed to power ending a 25-year-long Left rule.
More here: https: // t. co / Q7a4EsiuSh pic. twitter. com / 335YDvXTb7 - The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 5, 2018 The statue was overturned by a bulldozer, but who exactly hired him, it's understandable not up to the end. Representatives of the BJP deny that they ordered this service, arguing that Lenin fell because of the splash of "popular anger" of Indians, "oppressed" by Communists.
According to eyewitnesses, having fallen, the statue has split, and supporters of BJP allegedly even "played football in the head of Lenin". However, the video from the scene of events, which has spread through the media, captures only the moment with the demolition.
According to the CPI (M), this 3,5-meter-high statue of fiberglass was fashioned by local artist Krishna Debnat for only three rupees. It was installed in 2013 in honor of the 20th anniversary of the reign of the Left.
The BJP claims that the monument was aroused by the municipality for taxpayers' money: "Why does a taxpayer need to finance a statue of Lenin?" What does this foreigner do for our people? "- the head of the local branch of BJP Raju Nat.
Meanwhile, representatives of the CPI (M) complain that after losing their election, opponents attack them, setting fire to party offices and threatening physical reprisals against its members and supporters. According to the party, for two days injured more than 240 people, reports BBC. "The demolition of the statue is nothing more than a phobia of communism," comments the head of the regional CPI (M), Bijan Dhar. He notes that for two decades this is the only statue of Lenin installed in the city.