Vice President Dhankhar inaugurates 'Prerna Sthal' in Parliament complex

Rajya Sabha chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday inaugurated the 'Prerna Sthal' in the Parliament complex which now houses statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier at different places on the premises.

The 'Prerna Sthal' will inspire and motivate people, Dhankhar said, amid criticism by the Congress over the removal of the statues from their original places.

The Congress on Sunday claimed the decision to relocate the statues within the Parliament premises was taken by the ruling regime "unilaterally".

Its sole objective was to not have the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, which have been traditional sites of democratic protests, right next to where the Parliament actually meets, it alleged.

Referring to the contribution of leaders in shaping the country, Dhankhar said he had never imagined that he would be able to offer tributes to great personalities in a such a way by inaugurating the 'Prerna Sthal'.

"Imagine the contribution of these great personalities in the history of India. In which period were these great people remembered? I saw such a situation in the Central Hall. I became an MP in 1989, after that the change happened continuously," he said in an apparent reference to coalition governments at the Centre.

"... imagine how long it took after Independence to confer the Bharat Ratna to BR Ambedkar," he told reporters after the inauguration ceremony.

Dhankhar said while people know about these icons, the place -- 'Prerna Sthal' -- will fill those who come here with new vigour and energy.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and his deputies Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan were also present along with Information and Broadcasting and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The dignitaries offered floral tributes at the statues of the leaders after Dhankhar unveiled the plaque.

Among the members of Parliament, Jagdsmbika Pal of the Lok Sabha and Rakesh Sinha of the Rajya Sabha were seen amongst the guests.

Earlier in the day, Birla had asserted that none of the statues were removed but relocated. "There is no need to indulge in politics on this," he said.

"From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their lives and achievements in a better way," Birla said.

The statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar, earlier located at prominent places within the Parliament premises, were places where opposition leaders gathered to protest against the government.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said the whole idea of this relocation and giving it a grandiose name was to ensure that the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar were not in a prominent place right in front of Parliament House where MPs could conduct peaceful and democratic protests as and when required.

Lawns and gardens have been laid around the statues at 'Prerna Sthal' to allow visitors to easily pay tributes to them, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has said.

The outer lawns of Parliament Premises had statues of national icons such as Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Maharana Pratap, Hemu Kalani, Mahatma Basaveshwara, Kittur Rani Channamma, Motilal Nehru, Maharaj Ranjit Singh, Durga Malla, Birsa Munda, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, and Chaudhary Devi Lal.

These have now be placed at the newly created enclosure.