Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31st October had unveiled the 182-metre high ‘Statue of Unity’ in honour of country’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and dedicated it to the nation.
Built on Sadhu Bet Island on Narmada river, the imposing statue is touted to be the world’s tallest.
The Rs 2,389 crore monument is a tribute to Patel who played a major role in integrating the princely states into the Indian Union after the partition of 1947.
It is almost 29 metres taller than China’s Spring Temple Buddha that stands at 153 metres, and almost twice as high as the 93-metre Statue of Liberty in New York.
According to the report published in The Live Mirror, talking about “Statue of Unity”, British parliamentarian said that the English taxpayer donated £1.17billion in foreign aid and the government of India utilised £330 million for the construction of the statue. He termed the statue, “nonsense”.
Tory MP Peter Bone opined that the British should not give aid to India.
As per the official data, in 2013, British donated £268million, in 2014, £278 million and in 2015, £185million. To increase religious tolerance, £14,000 was spent in Gujarat in 2014.