Bengal BJP MLAs purify Ambedkar statue with Ganga water in assembly premises

Kolkata: BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Friday washed the statue of B R Ambedkar with Ganga water in the West Bengal Assembly premises.

The symbolic move was in response to the two-day sit-in by ruling Trinamool Congress MLAs, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on November 29, at the base of the statue to protest 'BJP government at Centre's discrimination towards West Bengal in connection with releasing central funds and implementation of Central projects.'

Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay told reporters he will ask the Marshal to seek Adhikari's response about the reason behind washing the Ambedkar statue with Ganga water.

'I would like to know why such activity was initiated. We will ask everyone not to use the assembly premises for things like loud slogan shouting outside the assembly hall but inside the premises,' he added.

For the last two days, the House witnessed slogan shouting as 'chor chor' (thieves) by both BJP and TMC, along with playing whistles and ringing bells. While the TMC held its sit-in at the base of the Ambedkar statue, the BJP held it at the entry to the main assembly hall.

Adhikari told reporters 'The MLAs of the party of looters, murderers of democracy who have already been rejected by the people of West Bengal and clinging to power with the help of state police and machinery, tainted the holy statue of Ambedkar ji with their presence here for past two days.' The BJP MLAs unanimously decided to cleanse the statue with Ganga water symbolically, he added.

Over 30 BJP legislators, led by Adhikari, took turns in pouring Ganga water at the spot before leaving the assembly premises.

TMC deputy chief whip Tapas Roy said by washing the Ambedkar statue BJP atoned its own sins 'of atrocities on Dalits and OBCs in the country, of murdering Constitution and democracy.'

'They cannot do such things without the permission of the Speaker inside the assembly. We had taken prior consent of the Speaker before our agitation,' he told reporters.