Gandhi statue to be moved for bar hotel?

Kochi, Oct 5: It seems like a Gandhi statue is to be displaced at the behest of some politicians and businessmen for a bar hotel in Kerala. The Gandhi statue in news is the one at Gandhi square in Poonithura, Kochi.

Local people are opposed with the idea and several posters have been appeared in the area against the alleged move to replace bapu's statue.

Ravi Menon, convener of the Pourasamithi was quoted as saying, “There are two issues here now, one is the reported attempt to shift the Gandhi statue and next is opening of a bar in the place near the statue. We can't allow this to happen in a place named after Gandhiji. We have raised this issue many times since the construction work of the hotel started here."

He added that, Excise minister K. Babu, also the local MLA, has promised that there would be no such move. But now it seems that they will give a license to start the bar here, he said.

“There are no attempts to move the Gandhi statue from there, but I can't comment about opening of bar near the square as I have not got any information about that," said the Excise minister.

Pourasamithi members and opposition party leaders said that they will strongly oppose the proposal of building a bar in place of Gandhi's statue.

EG Soman, secretary of CPI(M) local committee was quoted as saying, “We are planning to hold a public agitation and thwart every attempt to open a bar here."

OneIndia News