The inauguration ceremony of the ‘Statue of Unity’ was held at Kevadiya Colony in Narmada district of Gujarat, on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the tallest statue in the world in honour of the country’s first Home Minister, stating that “India will now meet the world on its own terms and is moving towards becoming an economic and military superpower.”
“India is moving ahead on the path guided by Sardar Patel. There was a time when we were seen as weak. But (Sardar Vallabhbhai) Patel turned those very weaknesses into our strength; he showed us the right path, added the Prime Minister.
The 182-metre bronze figure has been dedicated to the nation, as Modi mentioned that if we were connected from Rajasthan’s Kutch to Nagaland’s Kohima and Jammu and Kashmir’s Kargil to Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari, it was because of Patel’s determination.
Paying a tribute to the Iron man of India, Modi remembered Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary today. “Today, the entire country is celebrating Rashtriya Ekta Divas to mark the birth anniversary of Patel. The youth is participating in the Run for Unity. I would like to congratulate them all. The patriotism is the foundation on which our culture is built,” he said.
During the inaugural ceremony today, the PM poured soil and Narmada water into a ‘kalash’ in order to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. He also did a virtual “abhishek” of the statue with the help of a lever.
The statue has taken 42 months to be constructed, with the height set to 182 metres to match the total number of Assembly constituencies in Gujarat.
The former Deputy Prime Minister played a major role in integrating over 550 princely states into the Indian Union after the partition of India in 1947. While Modi unveiled the statue that has been built on Sadhu Bet Island on Narmada river for Rs 2,389 crore, he mentioned that it is now world’s tallest statue – surpassing China’s Spring Temple Buddha that stands at 153 metres by 29 metres and nearly doubling the 93-metre Statue of Liberty in New York.