Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya, Gujarat, on Wednesday and slammed the critics for questioning the decision to build the 182-metre monument commemorating India’s first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The ceremony coincided with the 143rd birth anniversary of Patel, who is credited with merging 550 princely states into the Union of India. It was attended by Gujarat Governor O P Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP chief Amit Shah, among others. The function was marked by a flypast by Indian Air Force jets and helicopters and a cultural show. A puja was also performed on the occasion.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the monument, the PM said, “The world’s tallest statue would remind the entire world, the future generations about the courage, capabilities and resolution of the person who did this holy work of thwarting the conspiracy to disintegrate Mother India into pieces. The statue will remind those who question India’s existence that this nation was, is and will remain eternal.”
Even as the Congress and other Opposition parties accused the BJP-led government of “appropriating” Patel without really believing in the principals the ‘Iron Man of India’ stood for, Modi was unfazed.
“During the last four years, our government has set up many memorials of our national heroes, including this sky-high statue of Sardar Patel, his museum in Delhi, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Panch Tirth and a memorial dedicated to son of Gujarat’s soil, Shyamji Krishna Varma,” he said, listing various other upcoming memorials such as Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue in Mumbai and a museum dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
“But, to my surprise, some people of this country are seeing our movement through the political glasses. We are criticised for praising the contributions of national heroes like Sardar Patel. We are made to feel as if we have committed a serious crime,” he said.
Then, in his characteristic style, Mosi asked the audience, “You tell me, is it a crime to remember our national heroes?” The crowd chanted in the negative.