'Not aware of decision': Himanta Biswa Sarma on removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Assam town

Guwahati: Two days after a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was removed for the construction of a clock tower in Assam's Doomdoma town, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said he was unaware of such a move and would verify the facts.

His comment comes after the Tinsukia administration's move to dismantle the statue drew widespread criticism.

Sarma, reacting to a post by Mahatma’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, wrote on X: “I am not aware of this decision taken by the district administration. Let me verify the facts.” The chief minister also maintained that Assam owes much to Mahatma Gandhi.

"He stood firmly with Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi when the Congress party led by Nehru wanted to include Assam in Pakistan under the Grouping Plan," Sarma said on the microblogging site.

The statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the heart of the town was removed on Wednesday by the municipal authorities to "make way for a clock tower" to be constructed there, locals said.

Local people had staged a demonstration against the administration's move.

On Thursday, Doomdoma MLA Rupesh Gowala assured them that a new and taller statue of the Father of the Nation would be erected at the same site.

The BJP legislator claimed that the statue was in a somewhat dilapidated condition and the new one would be installed within six months, along with beautification of the site.

Tushar Gandhi shared a news clipping of the local administration's move and wrote, “Not surprising that the BJP government in Assam decided to replace Bapu’s statue with a clock tower in Dibrugarh. Their slavish colonial hangover persists.”