Assam govt comes up with new Mahatma Gandhi Statue and clock tower amid controversy
The Assam government's installation of a new Mahatma Gandhi statue and clock tower in Doomdooma, Tinsukia district, followed controversy over the removal of the old statue. Opposition Congress members, including Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, criticized the move, alleging disrespect towards the Father of the Nation.
AP Guwahati: Amidst doubts from several quarters, Assam government has come up with a clock tower and mint fresh statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Assam's Doomdooma town in Tinsukia district. Earlier removal of statue has snowballed in a major controversy with opposition Congress protesting the move and alleging that this was disrespect by BJP to the father of the Nation. Mahatma's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi had scaled up the matter to Assam chief minister. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reacting to a post by Mahatma's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi had written on X: 'I am not aware of this decision taken by the district administration. Let me verify the facts.' The chief minister also maintained that 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 stated on the microblogging site.
Tushar Gandhi wrote, 'Not surprising that the BJP government in Assam decided to replace Bapu's statue with a clock tower in Dibrugarh. Their slavish colonial hangover persists.' The 60-year-old statue was removed as part Doom Doom's makeover project which included building a clock tower and replacing the old statue with another statue. Large people turned out to witness the installations and inauguration of the clock tower on Wednesday. Officials in Municipal Board, 'The statue necessitated replacement as one side of the spectacles of the statue was damaged and there were a couple of damages that have crept in the statue over the years. The face of the statue was facing the old AT Raad which is no longer the entry point of Doom Dooma town.' Assam minister for Labour and Doomdooma MLA Rupesh Gowala said, 'We had assured a new and taller statue of the Father of the Nation would be erected at the same site and today we have done so. This was our commitment to the people, and we have fulfilled the same.' Lakhimpur MP Pradan Baruah laid the foundation stone of the project before the 2024 Lok Sabha election. When the contractor had begun the work a couple, former MLA of Doomdooma and Congress leader Durga Bhumij along with some Congressmen arrived at the site and opposed the removal of the statue of Gandhi and building a clock tower there. Bhumij had alleged that the BJP never paid due respect to Gandhi. Instead, it always gave respect to Nathuram Godse. At a time when Gandhi'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.'
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