Firoz Khan said he couldn't stand to see the statue being neglected by the administration.
A day after footage of a Samajwadi Party leader weeping at the foot of a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district provoked claims of "overacting" on social media, the politician hit back today by claiming that he has done more to maintain such structures than the ruling BJP can ever be credited for.
"It is the BJP that's synonymous with drama. When Uttar Pradesh had a Samajwadi Party government, Mahatma Gandhi's statues would be cleaned on his birth anniversary. But that hasn't been the case in the last two years. They are not fulfilling their responsibility," Firoz Khan told news agency ANI, adding that he and his colleagues had taken it upon themselves to clean the statue.
In a video shared widely on social media, Firoz Khan and another party leader could be seen crying inconsolably at the foot of a Gandhi statue erected at Fawara Chowk in Chandausi town. He could be heard calling out "Bapu, Bapu" while wiping his face with a handkerchief as other party workers at the spot looked on with largely sombre expressions.
The Samajwadi Party leader accused the BJP-led central government of spending crores of rupees in Gandhi's name while doing little to honour his memory. "When Bapu gave us this nation, his policies and intentions were clear. We need a government that fulfils its responsibilities instead of showing off. Also, the government should clarify if it follows Bapu or Godse," ANI quoted him as saying.
Firoz Khan also criticised those who ridiculed him in his emotional moment. "I cleaned idols of Bapu on his birth anniversary, but they are dubbing it as drama. We will not allow such discrimination," he said, adding that the centre's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan will not become a success until it receives everybody's support.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Wednesday that rural India has declared itself free of open defecation in keeping with a promise made by his government years ago. "The people used self-inspiration, self-will and co-operation to achieve this through the Swachh Bharat Mission," he said at an event held to mark Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary near Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat.
(With inputs from ANI)