Malappuram: A controversy is brewing at Elamkulam panchayat here over the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi statue. The UDF-led panchayat committee has filed a complaint with the police against the DYFI workers, citing disrespect to Gandhi.

It is learnt that the panchayat committee had put off the unveiling ceremony earlier scheduled on August 5 in the wake of the Wayanad landslides. A new date was not fixed, but on Independence Day, DYFI workers from the region unveiled the statue. According to the complaint, their actions were perceived as showing disrespect to the Father of the Nation.

The work on the statue started in March 2024 with an allocated fund of Rs 4 lakh. The statue was covered with a sheet as some minor works were pending. The DYFI workers removed the sheet and unveiled the statue.

Panchayat president C Sukumaran said that the statue is under construction and the work has not yet been completed. "The DYFI workers showed disrespect towards the Gandhi statue soon after we hoisted the flag. The committee members had gone to attend another function at that time. DYFI insulted the Gandhi statue. It was the UDF committee which had brought up the idea of installing a Gandhi statue at the panchayat office. The LDF members refrained from the flag hoisting ceremony held in the panchayat,'' said Sukumaran.

The CPM has denied the allegations. "The work was completed around four months back. It should have been finished by December 2023, as the fund was allocated in the last financial year. The opposition has been questioning the delay in unveiling the statue for many months. We requested them to schedule it on Independence Day but they didn't accept it. We have no role in the act of DYFI. They have not done anything tantamount to insulting Gandhi as they just removed the plastic sheet,'' said N P Unnikrishnan, a CPM member and the president of the development standing committee of the panchayat.