BSP, Cong squabble over garlanding Ambedkar statue

As the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress go all out to woo Dalits on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, the district authorities in Ambedkar Nagar on Wednesday told Rahul Gandhi that he could garland the Dalit icon's statue only after the ruling party's function got over.

Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tewari said his party had sought written permission from the district administration so that 39-year-old Rahul could garland Ambedkar's statue.

"We had sought written permission but were denied the same," he said.

District Magistrate Kunwar Vikram Singh said, "We have not denied permission but we will allow the garlanding of the statue by Congress leaders only after the BSP's function ends here."

The BSP's function is scheduled from 10 am to 4 pm while the Congress function is planned from 10 am to 2 pm.