India is set to unveil the world's tallest statue of the greatest person Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, freedon fighter and who was India's first home minister and also the first deputy prime minister, and also known as the "Iron Man" of India, He played a key role in unifying the country.
Looming 182 meters (597 feet) above the Narmada River in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the statue is set to be unveiled on October 31, revealing a figure molded from approximately 1,850 metric tons of bronze.
The ambitious project was announced by Modi in 2010, when he was still the chief minister for the state of Gujarat. Built with funds allocated by the Gujarat state government, it has also received support from the federal government and individual contributions.
"In the world, people talk about America's Statue of Liberty. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream was to build a statue of Sardar Patel at twice the size of the statue of Liberty.
The Sardar Patel statue estimated to cost over $410 million, the committee overseeing the construction asked for the public donations to finish the statue. Modi called on farmers across the country to donate iron.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to fulfill in his first term as Prime Minister, the project includes a museum, research and entertainment center. A3-star hotel has been built in a complex nearby.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate this statue on October 31st 2018 with a grand ceremony.
The statue is an example of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Parties effort to appropriate a popular national figure. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a member of the Congress Party, which now sits in opposition in India's parliament.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was best known for his role in India's non-violent struggle to free itself from British rule, he became the country's first deputy prime minister and home minister after independence in a government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. Sardar Patel was central to the effort to merge small princely states into a unified independent India and his success there made him a lasting nationalist symbol.
