BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today defended pulling down of a statue of communist icon Lenin in Tripura, saying the late Russian leader was "a terrorist" and questioned if the statue of such a person could be installed in India.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Swamy also suggested communist leaders to install Lenin's statue inside their party headquarters and "worship" him, if they want.
"Lenin was a foreigner. He was, in a way, a terrorist because the number of people he killed there (in Russia) after imposing dictatorship there. And (you) want statue of such a person erected in our country?," Swamy asked.
The Rajya Sabha member also said that the statue was "not broken" and the BJP will send it to the office of the communist party (CPI-M).
Speaking on the same issue, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir told a news channel that he considered Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jan Sangh founder Deen Dayal Upadhyaya as his idols, and not some "foreign leadership".
"However, there is no place for violence in democracy," said Ahir.
A statue of Lenin was pulled down by some people with an excavator machine at Belonia in South Tripura district, yesterday, with the CPI-M holding BJP workers responsible for it.
The BJP last week dethroned the CPI-M in the assembly elections held in the state, ruled by a front led by the Left party for over two decades.
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