The Odisha government’s decision to relocate the capital’s warrior horse statue, which is also the state emblem, has led to protests by the Opposition BJP and Congress.

Union petroleum minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, who is from Odisha, joined the protests against shifting of the sculpture from the Master Canteen Square to the Raj Bhavan Square apparently to facilitate the smooth implementation of the Bhubaneswar smart city project.

Pradhan tweeted: “The decision to shift the Konark horse has saddened all. The statue is a symbol and identity of the rich heritage of the state and people from all walks of life in the state are shocked to learn about the government’s decision to relocate it. Without displacing it, the government should take steps for the beautification of the master canteen square.”

The 18-feet long and 15-feet high warrior horse statue (popularly known as Konark Horse) has been the main attraction of the city. Since the statue recalls the famous Kalinga war and the subsequent conversion of Magadhan emperor Ashoka into a Buddhist monk who preached peace, the Odisha government in 1964 decided to use it as the state emblem and installed a replica of it, created by late sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra in the heart of the city close to the Bhubaneswar railway station in 1988.

The Odisha government now wants to shift it to the Raj Bhavan to facilitate the Rs 80-crore smart city project. The decision has sparked protests as the statue is almost synonymous with the lives of the denizens of Bhubaneswar.

The Congress has also hit the streets demanding withdrawal of the decision. “The statue was installed in 1988 by our beloved chief minister J.B. Patnaik. The warrior horse was installed under a beautification plan and with a purpose to let the world know about the valour of Odia warriors who had participated in the Kalinga war.

We will not allow its relocation,” said Congress MLA and former minister Suresh Routray.

He further said the present government was destroying the art, culture and heritage of the state in the name of development and beautification. “They have done this in Old Bhubaneswar. We will not allow this to happen here again,” said Routray.

Not only political parties, but intellectuals also have joined the movement against the shifting of the statue. “This is a 33-year-old statue and quite unique. Its replacement will be impossible to make if it is damaged in any way during shifting because the man who fashioned it is no more. The statue was made out of Khondalite stone and there is a chance of it breaking during shifting. I can say this with my experience. It should be there like the Shivaji statue of Mumbai,” said sculptor Sudarsahan Sahoo.

He also questioned why the state government had not included any sculptor as a member in the statue committee.

On the other hand, a culture department official said: “We have planned to shift the statue to the Raj Bhavan Square which is an equally prominent area of the city. Once we go ahead with our beautification plan, the statue will lose its public visibility at the present spot. For a better public view, we have decided to relocate it. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority has given the proposal for shifting.”