Cong forgets Rajiv statue it installed 7 years ago

Now,as Amarinder sits “sidelined” by the party after Congress lost the 2012 assembly elections,it seems none in the Opposition party now remember the statue,which still stands under a shed but has not been wiped clean even once ever since that day seven years ago.

On Tuesday,when it came to paying tributes to the late leader,the Congress leaders chose to gather at the residence of district Mahila Congress president Malti Thapar. None of the leaders present even remembered that there is a statue of the former PM at Block Market.

The statue’s site presents a sorry state of affairs and seems a pointer to apathetic attitude of the Congress in maintaining the memorials to its leaders.

The statue covered in dirt stands with wild shrub encroaching the area and garbage strewn all around.

Even some black paint put on the statue by some miscreants remain intact as it has not been painted since its installation. The foundation stone behind the statue is so worn out that details cannot be read under layers of dirt.

“No one ever visits the statue,” says a shopkeeper at the market.

“All we witnessed was some pomp and show the day it was installed and unveiled on May 21 seven years ago. Since then no one from Congress or any other organisation has visited the spot,” says Tripat Bhandari,a shopkeeper at the Block Market.

Congress leaders who made their presence felt at Thapar’s home included Ravi Pandit,Ajit Singh,Ashok Kalia,Mangat Rai among others.

Contacted,Vikramjit Chaudhary,president,Punjab Youth Congress,said,“I was not aware of any such statue. But now when it has been brought to my notice,I will make sure that it gets painted by next week and is maintained properly. Maintaining the public places is far more important than paying tributes at homes.”