Punjab: House resolves to install statues of Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar, Ranjit Singh

The move comes five years after the Chandigarh Administration turned down a move by the then Punjab government to install a statue of Ambedkar. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha, during a special session called in 2016 to commemorate Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary, had passed the resolution to install his statue. The then Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal had sent the resolution to the Chandigarh Administration, which had declined to allow any statue in the Assembly complex.

At that time, a communication by Chandigarh Administration to Punjab government stated: “The age of personal statues is gone. No personal statues shall be erected in the city or parks of Chandigarh. The city is planned to breathe the new sublimated spirit of art. Commemoration of persons shall be confined to suitably placed bronze plaques.”

Reminded of the earlier rejection, a government functionary said, “It is not a permanent no. It depends on how we take up the issue again. Due process will be followed. Times change. If something is once declined, it does not mean one should not try again. Has the administration not allowed flyovers in the city? Were they allowed initially?”

The functionary said that that the point behind the resolution was to convey the sentiments to the people.
Earlier in the Assembly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann proposed that statutes of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar be installed in the Vidhan Sabha.

“As an indebted nation, we can never forget the contribution of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, who laid down his life for the freedom of the country. Likewise, Dr B R Ambedkar shaped the destiny of the country in pre and post independence era as the chief architect of the Indian constitution,” said Mann.

Describing them as great leaders, Mann said they will always remain a source of inspiration for millions of people.

Hailing Mann’s proposal, Congress legislator Partap Singh Bajwa urged that a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh be also installed.

Mann said the state government will leave no stone unturned for perpetuating the legacy of these great personalities.

Akali Dal member Manpreet Singh Ayali also proposed a statute of martyr Kartar Singh Sarabha’s statue. The martyr’s village Sarabha falls in Ayali’s Dakha constituency.

Congress member Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa demanded that Giani Zail Singh, who had remained a member of the Vidhan Sabha and had conferred the title of Punjab Mata on Bhagat Singh’s mother, be remembered.

AAP member Aman Arora thanked the CM for remembering the martyrs. He appealed to the opposition to raise constructive issues.

BJP member Ashwani Sharma said Bhagat Singh was not an icon of Punjabis alone but youth across the country. He said their ideology should be assimilated.

AAP member Sarvjit Kaur Manuke said that the House should press upon Centre to get Bhagat Singh declared as national martyr.

Later, the CM urged the Speaker to hold discussions on the Governor’s address in the next Assembly session so that newly-elected MLAs could prepare themselves for this. The House approved Mann’s proposal.

The House also authorised the Speaker to nominate members of the committees on public accounts, estimates, public undertakings and welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes, keeping in view the proportionate strength of various parties in the House.
Later, the House was adjourned sine-die.