Tripura LoP requests CM to reinstall statue of communist leader, relocate Lord Ram's idol

Agartala: Leader of the Opposition in Tripura Assembly, Jitendra Chaudhury, on Sunday urged Chief Minister Manik Saha to reinstall the statue of prominent communist leader Baidyanath Majumder at its original spot after relocating an idol of Lord Ram, which was installed in its place, to a suitable location.

His request came a day after unknown persons installed an idol of Lord Ram at the spot where the statue of the eminent communist leader was situated in Unakoti district before it was dismantled in March 2018 after the BJP came to power.

In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Chaudhury, a CPI(M) leader, said, "You might be aware of the installation of Lord Ram's idol at the spot where the statue of eminent communist leader and former deputy chief minister Baidyanath Majumder was situated before it was dismantled and thrown into Manu River after the 2018 assembly elections. The then chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb had condemned the act and assured of reinstalling the statue." "Like the people of the state, you might be saddened by the installation of an idol of Lord Ram in place of the communist leader's statue. This act is against the spirit of the state's tradition and culture," he said.

"Therefore, I urge you to reinstall a statue of the late communist leader, who had dedicated his entire life to the people, at its original spot. I also request for relocation of the Lord Ram idol to a suitable place with full honour," he said in the letter.

Addressing a press conference at Kailashahar, BJP's Unakoti district president Bimal Kar strongly denied the involvement of any party leaders and workers in the installation of the Lord Ram idol at the spot where the statue of the eminent communist leader was situated before being dismantled.

The installation of the Lord Ram idol came amid with the CPI(M)'s ongoing plans to build a new statue of Majumder to honour his legacy.