Cong to hold symbolic bhoomi-pujan at Ambedkar memorial site

Maharashtra Congress will hold a symbolic 'bhoomi-pujan' (ground-breaking) ceremony at the site of proposed memorial of Dr B R Ambedkar at the Indu Mill premises here tomorrow, on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters that it was the party's way of protesting BJP-led state government's failure to keep its promise of holding the bhoomi-pujan on April 14.
"The state government had promised to perform bhoomi-pujan on April 14. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi postponed the event as they are touring abroad. We protest the delay, and are going to hold a symbolic ceremony in the presence of state Congress president Ashok Chavan," Nirupam said.

The state government and the Centre earlier this month signed a three-party agreement with National Textile Corporation, which owns the Indu Mill land. The agreement was signed in the presence of Modi, Fadnavis and Union Textile Minister Santosh Gangwar.
However, Nirupam said, the agreement had already been signed by the Congress-led UPA government and there was a demand that the Textile Undertakings Nationalisation Act-1995 be amended to get the land for the memorial. But this government did not follow it up.
Amendment was necessary so that no one could challenge the transfer of land for the memorial later, he said.

Nirupam also questioned BJP-led government's silence over Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's controversial statement in a newspaper article advocating disfranchisement of Muslims.
He asked why the Chief Minister had not taken action against Raut even 24 hours after the article came out.