Rahul blames BJP, RSS for beheading of Periyar's statue

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday blamed the BJP and RSS for the beheading of the statue of Dravidian icon Periyar in Tamil Nadu and said they had signalled their cadres to destroy statues of those opposed to their ideology by encouraging tearing down of Lenin's statues in Tripura.

"When the RSS & BJP encouraged the tearing down of Lenin statues in Tripura, they signalled their cadres to destroy statues of those who opposed their ideology, like Periyar, the great social reformer who fought for the Dalits. His statue too was destroyed today in Tamil Nadu," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

A statue of iconic Dravidian leader E.V. Ramasamy, or Periyar, was found beheaded in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning.

The incident took place even as Home Ministry has asked states to take strong action against those indulging in vandalism of statues while making it clear that District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police would be held responsible in case of any law and order disturbance.

Earlier this month, the statue of Communist hero Vladimir Lenin was brought down in Tripura after the BJP swept the assembly elections, ending 25 years of Marxist rule in the northeastern state.

Following the incident, a statue of Periyar, considered the father figure of the rationalist movement in Tamil Nadu, was vandalised. 

In Kolkata, members of ultra-Left student outfit vandalised the statue of Jana Sangh founder and ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee at the Keoratola crematorium.

A statue of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar was vandalised in Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly condemned the incidents and warned of stern action against those found guilty.