Modi vows to install Vidyasagar grand statue at the same spot

Kolkata, May 16: As the Opposition rallied behind Mamata Banerjee over EC ban on campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Bengal CM saying Trinamool indulged in hooliganism during Amit Shah's rally on Tuesday. He also promised to build a new statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar at the same spot where the Bengali writer and philosopher's statue was vandalised.

The statue was damaged in a clash between Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members and Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) supporters on the College Street during Amit Shah's roadshow on Tuesday.

Addressing a rally in West Bengal's Mau, Modi on Thursday said, "We saw hooliganism by Trinamool workers again during Bhai Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata, they vandalised Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue. We are committed to Vidyasagar's vision and will install his grand statue at the same spot."

The Prime Minister recalled a West Medinipur rally some months ago where TMC workers had allegedly indulged in hooliganism. He said, "After this, in Thakurnagar the situation was such that I had to cut short my speech and was forced to leave the stage."

A bust of the revered 19th century social reformer and educationist, Vidyasagar, was vandalised during the BJP-Trinamool clashes on Tuesday. The bust placed inside the Vidyasagar College in Kolkata was broken to pieces.

Meanwhile, black flags were reportedly waved at Amit Shah and stones were pelted at his convoy during his rally on Tuesday.

In the first such action in India's electoral history, the EC on Wednesday invoked Article 324 of the Constitution to curtail the campaigning for the last phase of the election on May 19 in the wake of violence between BJP and Trinamool Congress workers in Kolkata on Tuesday. It ordered that campaigning in nine seats will end at 10 PM on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee alleged that BJP's Amit Shah was solely responsible for carrying out the Tuesday's violence in the city which was a "pre-planned criminal conspiracy".