New Delhi: Ahead of the Delhi University students' union polls, the BJP's student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday removed the busts of controversial leader VD Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, that were earlier installed by them 'without due permission' outside the gate of Arts Faculty in the north campus on Saturday.
The ABVP, however, claimed that the Delhi University has assured them that the busts will be reinstalled after the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) polls get concluded.
Busts of VD Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose removed from DU The busts of the trio were installed on August 20 by outgoing DUSU president Shakti Singh on the last day of his tenure.
They were removed on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
“ABVP-led DUSU has removed the busts of Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose till permission is obtained from the DU Administration. The busts have been kept (at a) safe (place) by the varsity,” the RSS-affiliated outfit said in a statement.
Earlier, the ABVP had asked DUSU office-bearers to install the statues as per the procedure, it claimed.
ABVP Delhi’s State Secretary Sidharth Yadav said: “It is very unfortunate that the DU administration turned a deaf ear to DUSU’s demand for installation of busts of freedom fighters, for a very long time. The university should restore these idols, as per their assurances, at the earliest.”
“At the same time, Congress should understand that its ‘Kaalikh model’ is not going to hide the reality. We have decided to remove the busts because we don’t want to do politics over the name of freedom fighters,” he added.
The students’ body also demanded “stringent legal action” against members of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) for allegedly blackening the bust of Savarkar on Thursday.
The ABVP claimed left-affiliated student organisations along with Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and the NSUI had “stooped to a low level” and were harming the “the culture of debate and discussion, prevalent in the university”.
“ABVP strongly believes that the Left, AAP and the student organisations affiliated to the Congress should stop insulting freedom fighters to meet their trivial political interests,” it said.
ABVP Delhi’s State Secretary Sidharth Yadav said: “It is very unfortunate that the DU administration turned a deaf ear to DUSU’s demand for installation of busts of freedom fighters, for a very long time. The university should restore these idols, as per their assurances, at the earliest.”
“At the same time, Congress should understand that its ‘Kaalikh model’ is not going to hide the reality. We have decided to remove the busts because we don’t want to do politics over the name of freedom fighters,” he added.
No immediate reaction was available from the university.
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