Nehru's Statue Removed in Allahabad for Kumbh Beautification, Govt Says It was in Middle of the Road

Allahabad: A statue of former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been removed from Allahabad’s Balsan Chauraha and temporarily shifted to a nearby park.

The authorities have said that the statue, near Anand Bhavan, was removed on Thursday as part of the beautification of city and road-widening ahead of upcoming Kumbh Mela, which will be held in January 2019.

The Congress has denounced the move saying that it is an attempt to do away with Nehru’s ideology. They termed it as an insult to India’s first PM.

The Samajwadi Party and Congress on Thursday protested the removal of the statue. The protesters blocked the crane and raised slogans against chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The enraged workers alleged that this is an insult to the former Prime Minister, and called the act a government conspiracy as they can’t tolerate the ideologies of the first Prime Minister of the nation.

They further questioned the move, saying that the statue of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay, which is on the same road, remains untouched. The angry protestors said that they will take up the matter with higher authorities.

“Roads are being broadened for the upcoming Kumbh. In that course a roundabout at Baalson crossing had to be reduced a bit. This particular roundabout has 3 statues. Nehru's statue was coming in way of proposed layout. Hence it was removed and stalled at same place after acquiring around 10 feet of space,” the government clarified.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) Chief Raj Babbar on Friday tweeted, “The statue of late Rajiv Gandhi was vandalised in PM Modi’s constituency Varanasi. Statue of Jawahar Lal Nehru was lifted by crane for removing it in Allahabad. History will remember the arrogance of the BJP. We will not forget these pictures. This is our pain and this will be our inspiration also.”

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