Rajasthan: Controversy over installation of statue of Gautam Buddha, what is the reason…?
In the general meeting of the municipality in 1994, unanimous approval was given to install Ambedkar’s statue in the park, in March 2022, in the general meeting of the city council, the proposal to install the statue of Lord Parshuram in the same park was passed.
Abdul Mahir Published on: Jun 13, 2023 at 5:20 pm
Jaipur. There was a ruckus after the statue of Gautam Buddha was installed in the alleged Ambedkar Park at Sawaimadhopur district headquarters of Rajasthan. Expressing their authority over the park, the Brahmin community demanded to remove the statue of Gautam Buddha and install the statue of Lord Parshuram and name the park after Lord Parshuram. Not only this, the Brahmin society took out a rally and even warned of agitation for not removing the statue of Gautam Buddha.
On the other hand, after the protest of the Brahmin society, the scheduled caste people also took to the streets in support of the statue of Gautam Buddha. In such a situation, along with tension at the district headquarters, a situation of conflict has arisen between the two societies.
Sensing the situation, District Collector Suresh Kumar Ola and Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agarwala took the park and the statue of Lord Gautam Buddha under police protection to maintain the status quo in the park by avoiding confrontation. For the last three days, the police team is camping 24 hours in the park.
this is the case
On June 11, people belonging to the Dalit community installed a statue of Lord Gautam Buddha in the triangular park in front of the Anubhajan Bhawan at Sawaimadhopur district headquarters.
The Dalit community claims that this park has been known by the name of Ambedkar Park for years. People of Dalit community have been organizing Ambedkar Jayanti and other great men’s birth anniversaries and death anniversaries in this park for a long time. Social meetings have also been taking place in this park. The statue of Lord Gautam Buddha has been installed in this park according to the rules.
While the Brahmin society claims that a proposal has been taken in the city council general assembly on March 5, 2022, to name the park built at the police line intersection after Lord Parshuram and install the idol of Lord Parshuram. In such a situation, it is wrong to install the statue of Gautam Buddha here. Councilor Jinendra Sharma has also said that this proposal has been taken in the general body. We have a copy of the proposal.
Former student leader and District President of Balinath Foundation Dhara Singh Bairwa told The Mooknayak that the municipality Sawai Madhopur had decided in 1994 itself to make the triangular park in front of the investigation building Ambedkar Park and to install the statue of Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in this park. was approved.
Bairwa said that 30 years ago, you had given unanimous approval in the general body for the installation of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statue in the park in front of the Investigation Building. Then in 2022, you deliberately want to create controversy by getting a proposal written in the city council general meeting.
He said that on March 5, 2022, in the general meeting of the city council, the councilors of the society have written a proposal to name the park after Lord Parshuram and install the statue. The motion has not passed. However, the situation will be clear only after the investigation of this allegation of Bairwa. whether the motion was passed or not.
‘Here’s the facts’
Social activist Dhara Singh Bairwa told The Mooknayak that the executive officer of Sawaimadhopur municipality had written a letter to the district collector Sawaimadhopur on January 27 last. In this letter, he had written to the Collector that in the General Assembly of Sawai Madhopur Municipality, on January 10, 1994, a decision has been taken that approval has been granted to install Ambedkar’s statue at the intersection of Dausa Road in front of Anubhav Bhavan. Its expenditure will be borne by Valmiki Mahila Shiksha Samiti itself.
SC Commission wrote a letter to the collector to cancel the proposal
On March 5, 2022, in the general meeting of the Municipal Council, the student representative of the All India Students Federation, Anil Gunsaria, lodged a complaint with the Scheduled Caste Commission, Rajasthan, after the proposal to name the park in front of the investigation building after Lord Parshuram and install the statue of Lord Parshuram. It was told that “In 1994, the municipality has approved the statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in the park in front of Anveshan Bhavan. Despite this, in March 2022, in the general assembly of the city council, a proposal to install the statue of Lord Parshuram again has been presented. Let it be stopped.”
On September 8, 2022, Rajasthan Scheduled Castes Commission President Madanlal Bairwa wrote a letter to District Collector Sawaimadhopur on the complaint of student leader Gunsaria, directing him to cancel the city council’s proposal to change the name of the park located in front of the police line.
After this, citing the letter of the SC Commission, Additional District Collector Dr. Suraj Singh Negi wrote a letter to the Municipal Council Commissioner on 20 September 2022, directing that the proposal to change the name of Ambedkar Park at the police line intersection should be cancelled. However, these letters were buried somewhere in the files.
In this regard , The Mooknayak also tried to talk to District Collector Suresh Kumar Ola, Municipal Council Commissioner Hoti Lal Meena, but both the officials did not receive the call.
