Lenin statue toppled in Tripura: How BJP leaders openly supported vandalism

A second statue of Lenin was brought down in Tripura just a day after BJP supporters bull dozed a similar statue in Belonia. In Belonia, the mob chanted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' when the statue was razed to the ground.

BJP National Secretary Ram Madhav had tweeted a photo of Lenin's statue being brought down, saying: "People taking down Lenin's statue not in Russia, it is in Tripura. 'Chalo Paltai.'" Madhav deleted the tweet after facing criticism.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy called the Vladimir Lenin a "terrorist". He said that the CPM should install his statue in their office.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju expressed little surprise and said that Lenin's statue was toppled in Russia as well.

"Today, Lenin's statue in Tripura. Tomorrow, the statue of the caste fanatic EVR Ramasamy," H Raja, a BJP national secretary, wrote on Facebook. Raja deleted his post later.

Tripura's Governor Tathagata Roy tweeted saying that pulling down statues, unless done by lawfully empowered authorities, are considered 'mischief' under the Indian Penal Code which is a bailable and non-cognizable offence. He added that this government can undo previous government's work.

CPM MP Mohd Salim compared the toppling of Lenin's statue to the destruction of the Buddha statues in Bamiyan by Taliban.