Amid row, Assam's Tinsukia promises to reinstall Mahatma statue

Guwahati, July 14 (IANS) Amidst huge controversy after the removal of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi for the construction of a clock tower in Assam's Doomdooma town in Tinsukia, the district administration decided that a new seven-feet tall statue of the father of the nation would be installed in the town. 

The controversy began after a social media post last week by Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi.

Tagging a newspaper clipping, Tushar Gandhi in his post on the X said: "Not surprising that the BJP government in Assam decided to replace Bapu's statue with a clock tower. Their slavish colonial hangover persists."

Earlier, the Tinsukia district administration said that the statue was removed as part of the Doom Doom's makeover project which included building a clock tower and replacing the old statue with another statue.

Congress leaders and workers led by former Doomdooma MLA and party leader Durga Bhumij strongly protested the move.

When the contractor of the project began the work recently, Bhumij along with party workers arrived at the site and strongly opposed the removal of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The BJP never paid due respect to Gandhiji. Instead, it always gave respect to Nathuram Godse," the Congress leader had said.

"At a time when Gandhiji's statue was set up in as many as 80 countries around the world, the Board is going to build a clock tower by removing the statue of the Father of the Nation," the Congress leader had told the media.

An official of the Tinsukia district administration on Sunday said that the Mahatma Gandhi statue was installed at Gandhi chowk in Doomdooma town around the year 1958.

"Since 1958, the statue had undergone a lot of wear and tear and damage. However, it appears that no scheme was undertaken for its restoration or replacement. Owing to this, a plan was undertaken to replace the existing 5 feet 8-inch Mahatma Gandhi statue with a new 7 feet tall statue under the scheme Installation of a new Mahatma Gandhi statue at Gandhi Chowk, Doomdooma' under the 15th Finance Commission Grant of Doomdooma Municipal Board," the official told the media.

He said on February 15, a public meeting involving various organisations of Doomdooma town was held and the details of the two schemes mentioned and discussed with the public clearly and transparently and members present in the meeting agreed to the implementation of the two schemes.

After the huge controversy, Doomdooma BJP MLA Rupesh Gowala assured them that a new and taller statue of Mahatma Gandhi would be erected at the same site.

"The old statue was in a dilapidated condition and the new one would be installed within six months, along with beautification of the site," Gowala had told the media.

Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah laid the foundation for Doom Doom's development project on March 7.

District administration officials said that the site of construction was cleared on July 3 and the existing statue of Mahatma Gandhi was lifted on July 5 to prevent any damage due to the construction work.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, reacting to a post of Tushar Gandhi, on Friday said on X: "I am not aware of this decision taken by the district administration. Let me verify the facts. Assam owes much to Mahatma Gandhi."

"He stood firmly with Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi when the Congress party led by Nehru wanted to include Assam in Pakistan under the Grouping Plan," Sarma had said.