BHUBANESWAR:
A day after removal of the statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das from the Singhadwar
of the Shreemandir in Puri, Congress on Sunday criticised the State Government
for disrespecting such a great freedom fighter of the State.
Talking
to mediapersons here, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Prasad
Harichandan said the statue, which was installed by Mahatma Gandhi on May 8,
1934, was removed by the administration without taking legal angles into
account.
Harichandan
said the eviction team of the Puri Municipality demolished the memorial amid
rain in the town before shifting the statue of Gopabandhu Das to an open roof
top. By using a crane, the team shifted the statue wrapped up with a big gunny
bag which was an insult to the people of the State who love the great son, he
added.
He
said the way the evacuation team removed the statue like an unwanted material hurt
the sentiments of people who love the Utkalmani. “It is heard that our Chief
Minister was a student of History. But in which way the historical monument was
demolished on Saturday it was a great insult to the history and historical
monuments,” he said.
Harichandan
said the removal of the Statue would not only hurt the people of the State but
also those who love Gopabandhu’s philosophy, living outside of the State.
Meanwhile,
BJD spokesperson Pratap Jena said the Congress, which is criticising the State
Government in the issue, never did a small effort to respect the Utkalmani in
its 50 years of ruling. “Our Government has launched some welfare schemes in
the name of Gopabandhu Das as a mark of our respect to the great soul,” he
said.