Mumbai: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday strongly condemned the alleged attempt to vandalise a statue of social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule in Telangana on February 6 and demanded strict action against culprits.
Speaking to reporters, Bhujbal said the incident was not just an act of vandalism, but a direct assault on progressive social thoughts and the ideals of social equality and justice. He noted the same in a letter addressed to union home minister Amit Shah, urging the latter’s immediate intervention to ensure swift and stringent action against those responsible.
Bhujbal was referring to an incident in Telangana’s Tellapur municipality, where an alleged attempt to desecrate Phule’s statue on February 6 triggered tensions between two rival groups. The incident drew nationwide attention on social media, with several videos circulating platforms like Facebook.
In his letter to Shah, Bhujbal warned that attacks on icons like Mahatma Phule threaten the foundations of social harmony and reformist values in the country.
“The attack on this great reformer is an act of creating animosity and promoting unrest which cannot be accepted at any cost,” Bhujbal said in the two-page letter to Shah. “The incident indicates that the society is still scared of social justice, women’s education and symbols of equality. Hence I request you take cognisance of the matter and ensure appropriate action.”
Bhujbal also demanded replacement of the desecrated statue and efforts to ensure such incidents are not repeated in future.
“Society will not tolerate the insult of Jyotiba Phule,” he said.
Prakash Ambedkar, president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was behind the incident in Telangana.
In a post on social media platform X, Ambedkar said, “RSS people tried to break the statue of Mahatma Phule in Tellapur village. This is not only an attack on Jyotiba Phule, but also an attack on Dalits, tribals and OBCs. This is an attack on the movement for equality of the deprived and the Bahujans. RSS hates Mahatma Phule and Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule and their ideology.”