Barely 48 hours after BJP’s decisive victory in Tripura, putting an end to the 25-year-rule of the Left government, a statue of communist leader Vladimir Lenin, in Tripura’s Belonia, was allegedly pulled down by workers of the saffron party.
After the statue fell, its head was dismembered from the body. And then, the BJP workers played football with Lenin’s head.Tapas Datta, CPI(M)’s Belonia sub-division secretary, in a statement to Outlook India.
The incident led to divided reactions from people, with some citizens lauding the “end of an oppressive” regime, while others expressed concern at the symbolic nature of the violent, and possibly illegal, act.
‘The End of an Oppressive Regime’
The reactions on social media ran the gamut of emotions, with some lauding the act as a symbolic end to the four-time “oppressive regime” of Manik Sarkar.
The act was initially lauded by none other than the BJP’s national general secretary, Ram Madhav who tweeted (and later deleted the tweet) in favour of the act.
More voices joined in, congratulating the action. Starting with one-man-fake-news factory, Prashant Umrao:
And then the others joined in...
'Appalled by Celebration of Vandalism’
However, a number of other citizens expressed shock at the violent nature of the act, which came just two days after the BJP’s victory in the state, stating that it was an indicator of the times to come.
‘Was This Legal?’
A few, quieter voices of reason, ignored the politics at play, asking whether the act, while symbolic, was legal, and even asking the Governor of the state, Tathagatha Roy, to step in and take action.
But the Governor’s tweet on the incident made it adequately clear what action could be expected in the matter.
The removal of the statue came in the midst of several reports of alleged violence between right-wing supporters and left-wing workers in the state.
Coming just two days after a new government took over, the incident raises questions about whether this is what should be expected in the coming years of the right-wing rule, in a state that had for so long been ruled by the Left.
(With inputs from Outlook India)
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