Lotus symbol painted at R&B dept office wall, Mayor says asked BJP to avoid it

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Meanwhile, Rajkot Mayor Pradip Dav reiterated that he has asked his party to avoid walls of government buildings for the campaign but lotus painted on government buildings a week ago continue to be there.

Officers of both the District R&B division and City R&B division claimed that the wall section concerned was part of the other’s office premises.

“I have seen them but the section of the compound wall on which they have been drawn belongs to the City R&B division,” KN Jhala, executive engineer of District R&B claimed.

On his part, RA Javia, executive engineer of City R&B division claimed the sections of wall on which the BJP symbols have been drawn belong to the District R&B and as well as the bungalow belonging to the State NHAI (National Highways Authority of India).

“We don’t know as to who has painted them and the wall section belongs to District R&B and the State NHAI. As a rule, R&B does not allow any kind of paintings on its walls. That said, we have not received any instructions from District R&B or State NHAI to remove them. If we get such instructions from them, my division will remove them,” Javia said, adding his division was responsible for upkeep and repair of the said premises.

The paintings on the wall of the state government offices come around a week after the party drew lotus symbols on the entry gate of Race Course garden as well as on the compound wall of the replica of Narmada dam in Bahumali Bhavan Chowk.

Lotuses were overpainted on wall paintings drawn by artists engaged by NGO Mission SMART City Trust (MSCT), in Kisanpara Chowk. However, the BJP whitewashed them after artists and MSCT raised an objection.

After the lotus paintings on the entry gate of Race Course garden were brought to his notice on March 22, Mayor Dav had observed, “I will bring this to the notice of the officials. I personally believe that this can’t be done on walls of government property… walls of government buildings are where space is available as compared to private premises and it is possible that painters engaged by the party could have therefore chosen them.”

A week on, the lotus paints are as they were drawn. When asked by The Indian Express on Tuesday if civic officers have taken any action after his remarks that he would bring the paints to their notice, the mayor said, “The lotus which were overpainted on wall paintings of Chitranagari have been whitewashed. As per orders from the party, the painters could be drawing lotuses on private buildings after obtaining permission from owners. But I have asked the party to avoid walls of government buildings for the ongoing campaign.”

Meanwhile, Rajkot city BJP president Kamlesh Mirani had claimed that painting election symbol on the walls of government offices was “nothing new”.

“We do it before every election. Once the elections are formally announced, the Election Commission of India whitewashes them,” Mirani had said.