BJP office in TN bombed after Periyar statue vandalised

A petrol bomb was hurled at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu by unidentified persons early on Wednesday, police said. The attackers had come in a three wheeler. Police are investigating the case.

The attack comes a day after BJP National Secretary H Raja's message in social media that said, after a statue of Lenin was bulldozed in Tripura, the statues of rationalist movement founder EV Ramasamy or Periyar would also be razed to the ground. The message was later removed.

However, a Periyar statue inside the Tirupattur Corporation Office in Vellore district was vandalised. Late on Tuesday, two persons were arrested in Thirupattur for the vandalism.

DMK Working President MK Stalin has called for Raja’s arrest. Left and Congress leaders have slammed the BJP for the comments on Periyar.

H Raja expresses regret

Hours after the BJP office was attacked, party National Secretary H Raja on Wednesday expressed regret for his Facebook post that said statues of rationalist movement founder Periyar would be razed to the ground in the state.

In a fresh Facebook post on Wednesday, Raja expressed his heartfelt regret for his Tuesday's post, which he claimed was a message posted by his social media administrator without his permission and hence he had removed it.

Raja expressed regret if his post had hurt anybody's feelings. According to him, damaging the statues of Periyar is not agreeable.

The message that was posted and later removed said: "Who is Lenin? What is the connection between him (Lenin) and India? What connection between communism and India? Lenin's statue was broken down in Tripura. Today it is Lenin's statue in Tripura and tomorrow it will be the statue of caste fanatic EV Ramasamy."

This article was updated at 10.25 am on March 7