Live Updates: Lenin, Periyar, Mukherjee statue vandalism fallout escalates

"The spate of political violence and hatred started after the installation of new governments in the north-eastern states needs to be condemned... It is because of this kind of politics that there is tension and insecurity all around," BSP president Mayawati said in a statement.

"These incidents only prove how the politics of hatred and violence is prevalent all over, because people with criminal mentality have no fear of law," Mayawati said.

"It can be anybody's statue, but if you are demolishing statues, then you are desecrating the country's culture and civilisation," Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday

"An atmosphere of intolerance is prevailing in the country after the BJP came to power," he said.

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader H Raja on Wednesday with regard to his now deleted Facebook post on Periyar's statue. The PIL was filed by advocate Surya Prakasam in Madras High Court

Targeting the BJP, TMC leader Derek O'Brien dubbed the incidents an "absolute shame" and "third class". He alleged the ruling party workers "may next break statues of other iconic leaders as well".

"It is an absolute shame. In 2011, even we won the elections in Bengal. We do not endorse the philosophy of communists like Lenin, but you have to win political battles. This is like third class, but this is to be expected from this government," O'Brien told reporters outside Parliament.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the damage to the statue of Periyar in Tamil Nadu was an insult to the entire country, especially the poor.

"In Tamil Nadu, the statue of Periyar was removed and damaged. It is a very big insult of not only people of Tamil Nadu, but also people of the country who believe in his ideology.

"In a democracy, there are people who believe in all kinds of ideologies. There is no tolerance in the BJP people and they are turning intolerant. Periyar helped them get political power. It is an insult to all poor in the country, as Periyar believed and fought for social justice," he told reporters outside Parliament.

Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday expressed displeasure over damage to the statues across the country and said "nobody has the right to do such things".

"It is not good what is happening in the country. These statues have been built in recognition of their work," the 80-year-old activist said in response to a question about damage caused to statues of various personalities in different parts of the country.

AIADMK members hold a protest over vandalisation of the statue of Periyar and other issues, during the second phase of budget session in New Delhi on Wednesday.

An imposing statue of communist icon Vladimir Lenin, which was pulled down by a group of people in South Tripura's Belonia, will be kept at the premises of the municipal body, a top official on Wednesday said.

The nearly 11-feet tall fibre glass statue, which stood on a pedestal at College Square, was brought down on Monday with the help of a bulldozer.

“The BJP must remember that the legacy of great social reformers like Periyar cannot be undone by vicious posts from its leaders and vandalism by its cadres,” read a tweet from Congress

Massive protests broke out in Chennai's Anna Salai area as workers of various political parties protested against the BJP leader's comments.

BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday said the party will not take action against national secretary H Raja who is facing flak for his controversial remarks on Dravidian icon Periyar.

A row had erupted in Tamil Nadu yesterday over Raja's remarks indicating that statues of Periyar could be pulled down next after a Lenin statue was razed in Tripura following the BJP's victory. Asked if the BJP will take action against Raja, Shah told reporters outside Parliament, "No, we will not".

As the comments in a Facebook post against Periyar, founder of the Dravidian movement, drew condemnation from several political parties in the state, Raja deleted it while the BJP's state unit distanced itself from the issue, saying it was his personal view.

"The admin of my page published the statement without my permission that all Periyar statues in the State should be removed. So I have removed the post.We should contest ideas with ideas, not with violence. It was not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings or sentiments. And if it did, I regret.", said H Raja

“Modi ji tell your boys to destroy the statue of manu, not lenin or Periyar. Mind well, exploited dalits will always cherish the legacy of aambedkar, lenin, periyar, Phule and some day they will definitely destroy the manu-murti at Rajasthan high court”, Mewani wrote on twitter

Members of a left wing student organisation on Wednesday allegedly vandalised a bust of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee and blackened its face, the West Bengal BJP said.

Six members of the group have been detained by the police in the incident, that happened at the Keoratola crematorium.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday described as "shameful" and "mad" incidents of attacks on statues of iconic leaders in Tripura, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The comments from Naidu, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, came after alleged BJP supporters razed a statue of Lenin soon after the BJP wrested power from the Left.

In Tamil Nadu, a statue of iconic Dravidian leader Periyar was vandalised while a statue of Jana Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee was targeted in West Bengal.

Apoorvanand says that in view of ‘violent’ language used during the Tripura campaign by BJP, post-poll violence comes as no surprise. What is worrying is the deafening silence of political parties, media and civil society

A day after BJP leader H Raja said that statues of Periyar would be razed and a Periyar statue was subsequently vandalised in Thirupattur, petrol bombs were thrown at a BJP office in Coimbatore

ANI News reported on Wednesday that a bust of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee has been vandalised in Kolkata’s Kalighat; earlier a statue of Lenin was bulldozed in Tripura