UP Congress has condemned the vandalism of the statue of former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi in Mirzapur district on Saturday. Incidentally chief minister Yogi Adityanath was in Mirzapur on Saturday for the divisional meeting for the review of the law and order and development schemes. The state Congress has announced to launch statewide protest against the desecration of the statue of the former prime minister.
“Ever since Yogi Adityanath government has taken over, virtual free for all situation prevails in UP and no fear of rule of law. Even the great personalities are not being spared. Rajiv Gandhi was not only the prime minister of India but a great leader of India who sacrificed his life for the nation. The Congress condemns the incident and demands immediate arrest of the culprits’’, said the UP Congress president Raj Babbar here on Sunday. Raj Babbar said he will visit Mirzapur on Mondayand the congress would launch state wide protest against the incident.
The Statue of Rajiv Gandhi, installed at the park at the Awas Vikas colony in the Mirzapur city was found beheaded on Saturday morning. later the head of the statue was recovered from a drain nearby.
“The anti-social elements had written at the place of vandalism ‘Hamari Sarkar hai, usse Pakistan bhej diya hai (It is our government and we have sent the statue to Pakistan),” Raj Babbar said. A police complaint has also been lodged by the local Congress leader. The police has so far not lodged the FIR.
UP Congress president said that Rajiv Gandhi was instrumental in constitution amendment for the decentralization of powers and empowering the three tier panchyat institutions, voting rights to youths over 18 years and also laid the foundation of the IT revolution in the country. He said such acts of vandalism by the lumpen and criminal elements cast a deep shadow over the ability of the state government to maintain the law and order situation in the state.
``The incident of vandalism of the statue of Rajiv Gandhi occurred the day UP CM visited Mirzapur district is a cause of concern and shows that anarchy like situation prevails in UP’’, alleged the state congress president.
Meanwhile Raj Babbar reacting on the controversy over the map of Jamu and Kashmir said that it was a printing error and person responsible for the mistake will be taking to task.
“Kashmir is an integral part of India and this has been the consistent stand of the congress on Kashmir since independence in 1947’’, said Raj Babar. He also thanked the local media for spotting the error in the booklet as this was released in all state capitals but it was the reporters of the UP capital who detected the mistake.