Tripura: Political row over Lord Ram statue at Srirampur

Agartala: A political controversy has erupted in Tripura's Kailashahar subdivision following the installation of a Lord Ram statue at the Srirampur tri-junction, the former site of a statue honoring the late Left Front leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of the state Baidyanath Majumder.

Expressing his concerns and dismay over the installation of lord Ram’s statue, Tripura's Leader of Opposition has penned a letter to Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha stating the act as “shameful and painful.”

The leader stated that the sudden, unauthorized installation carried out under the cover of darkness on April 11 has deeply hurt public sentiment and disrespected the state’s cultural traditions.

“The site had originally featured a statue of the late leader, installed in 2012 through community initiative. Later, some unknown miscreants allegedly destroyed the statue in March 2018, shortly after the state assembly election results declaration,” the letter reads.

Furthermore, the senior CPIM leader demanded administrative support for the peaceful reinstallation of Baidyanath Majumdar’s statue at the original site and the relocation of lord Ram’s statue to a suitable and respectable place.

Notably, Baidyanath Majumder, a stalwart Left leader, represented the Chandipur constituency five times in a row. He was also the PWD Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura. He passed away in 2011.