Rajya Sabha chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 'Prerna Sthal' in the Parliament complex on Sunday (June 16), which now houses the statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier at different places on the premises. Amid criticism by the Congress over the relocation of statues from their original places, the VP said that the 'Prerna Sthal' will inspire and motivate people. The Congress claimed the decision to relocate the statues within the Parliament premises was taken by the ruling regime "unilaterally". Its sole objective was to not have the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, which have been traditional sites of democratic protests, right next to where the Parliament actually meets, it alleged.
Dhankhar said while people know about these icons, the place -- 'Prerna Sthal' -- will fill those who come here with new vigour and energy.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and his deputies Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan were also present along with Information and Broadcasting and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Earlier Birla had said that none of the statues were removed but relocated. "There is no need to indulge in politics on this," he said.
"From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their lives and achievements in a better way," Birla said.
The statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar, earlier located at prominent places within the Parliament premises, were places where opposition leaders gathered to protest against the government.
The statues have now been placed at the newly created enclosure.
Here is the list of statues which have been relocated in the Parliament complex:
| S. No. | Name of personality | Unveiled by | Unveiled on | Previous Location |
| 1 | Pandit Motilal Nehru | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, President | 06.05.1963 | Iron Gate No. 2, P H |
| 2 | Dr. BR Ambedkar | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, President | 02.04.1967 | Iron Gate No. 3, P H |
| 3 | Mahatma Gandhi | Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, President | 02.10. 1993 | In front of Building Gate No. 1, PH |
| 4 | Shri Birsa Munda | Dr. K. R. Narayanan, President | 28.08.1998 | Building Gate No. 8, P H |
| 5 | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj | Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, President | 28.04.2003 | Building Gate No. 3, P H |
| 6 | Mahatma Basaveshwara | Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, President | 28.04.2003 | Building Gate No.9, P H |
| 7 | Maharaja Ranjit Singh | Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister | 21.08.2003 | Building Gate No. 9, P H |
| 8 | Shaheed Hemu Kalani | Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister | 21.08.2003 | Building Gate No. 7, P H |
| 9 | Chaudhary Devi Lal | Manohar Joshi, Speaker | 25.09.2003 | Iron Gate No. 2, P H |
| 10 | Mahatma Jyotirao Phule | Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister | 03.12.2003 | Iron Gate No. 3, Parliament House |
| 11 | Shaheed Durga Malla | Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister | 17.12.2004 | Building Gate No. 7, P H |
| 12 | Maharana Pratap | Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker | 21.08.2007 | Building Gate No. 12 (Left side) P H |
| 13 | Kittur Rani Channamma | Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President | 11.09.2007 | Lok Sabha Marg, Facing Lounge of (PLB) |
| 14 | Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj | Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President | 17.2.2009 | In the lawn near Building Gate No. 6 & 7 P H |
