Muzaffarpur: The placing of BJP flags and a party cap on a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a school in Bihar has triggered a political row, with opposition leader Tej Pratap Yadav responding by ritually “purifying” the statue.
Yadav, the elder son of former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and founder of the Janshakti Janata Dal, visited Ramakrishna High School in Meenapur, Muzaffarpur, on Tuesday evening. There, he washed the statue with milk and water before placing a garland on it.
Speaking afterwards, Yadav condemned the act of draping party symbols on the statue of Gandhi, calling it an insult to the “Father of the Nation”. He demanded strict legal action against those responsible, warning that such behaviour would not be tolerated in a land “of martyrs”.
In a post on Instagram, Yadav linked the incident to a broader critique of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “The incident of BJP and RSS leaders and workers placing the BJP flag, sash, and cap on the Gandhi statue … is extremely sad,” he wrote. He went on to invoke Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin, who was a member of the RSS, arguing that Gandhi’s legacy had long been attacked by Hindu nationalist groups. “BJP members are not only cowards but also traitors. History will never forgive them,” Yadav said.
