Sign in

Chandigarh municipality removes ‘Modi’ bricks

A day after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor here laid the foundation of a community centre using bricks with ‘Modi’ engraved on them, municipal corporation officials on Wednesday removed the bricks from the spot.

Updated on: Jan 9, 2014, 01:44:58 IST
Hindustan Times | By , Chandigarh
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

A day after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor here laid the foundation of a community centre using bricks with ‘Modi’ engraved on them, municipal corporation officials on Wednesday removed the bricks from the spot.

HT Image
HT Image

Later, in the day Mayor, Harphool Chander Kalyan wrote to MC Commissioner, VP Singh to check as to how all this happened and bricks with ‘Modi’ name were used for the foundation of a community centre being built by MC. He has also asked him to check the role of various officials involved in it. Councillor Saurabh Joshi had used unapproved bricks with the mark ‘Modi’ on them — a clear reference to Gujarat chief minister and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi — for laying the foundation of a community centre in Sector 15.

The bricks were reportedly brought from a kiln in Ludhiana, and officials later said these were not the bricks approved by the corporation after efficiency test for use in the construction.

With Joshi were local BJP unit president Sanjay Tandon, other party leaders while some officials of the municipal corporation were present. “The way Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is known as Iron Man of India, Narendra Modi is the ‘development man’ in the world,” Joshi later said. “The bricks bear Modi’s name so that the pace of work accelerates.”

The Congress said the move showed that the BJP was using every chance to gain political mileage. “The matter should be legally examined,” Pardeep Chhabra, former mayor and Congress spokesperson, said.

  • Surender Sharma
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Surender Sharma

    Surender Sharma is a principal correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Punjab and Haryana high court.

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.