2 Lenin statues demolished

Agartala, March 6: Two statues of communist icon Vladimir Lenin were brought down in South Tripura, the police said on Tuesday, as the CPM and its archrival in Bengal, the Trinamul, blamed the BJP for the incidents.

The statues were pulled down just days after the Left was defeated in Assembly polls by the BJP and its ally IPFT, which together won a two-third majority in the House in a state where the CPM was in power for 25 years.

A five-foot high fibre glass statue of Lenin was toppled at Belonia on Monday, while a smaller figure was razed at Sabroom two days ago, district superintendent of police Monchak Ipper said.

Tripura chief minister-designate Biplab Deb has urged the people of the state to maintain peace and said anybody indulging in violence would be punished.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to state Governor Tathagatha Roy and the director general of police, asking them to ensure peace till a new government was installed.

Meanwhile, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury criticised the BJP-RSS for the pulling down of a statue of the communist icon and urged the democratic and secular forces of the country to come together against the “fascist onslaught” of the saffron regime.

He said the CPM would discuss all the options in the upcoming party Congress, while deciding on a political-tactical line for taking on BJP. — PTI