PM Narendra Modi unveils tallest Statue of Unity amid 'silent protest'

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated the worlds tallest Statue of Unity to the nation calling it Indias reply to those who questioned its unity a silent protest took place by thousands of tribals who call the project a harbinger of their devastationUnveiling the 182metre Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue Modi hit out at his critics for politicising the mission for erecting the tallest monument and asked all citizens to remain united in countering efforts made by divisive forcesStatue of Unity is to remind all those who question Indias existence and its integrity This country was is and will always be eternal Modi saidHe said the height of the statue is to remind the youth that the future of the country is in their aspirations and is as huge as this statueThe only mantra to fulfil these aspirations are Ek BharatShresth Bharat One India Best India Statue of Unity is also symbolic of our engineering and technological affordability he addedWhen Modi was unveiling the statue twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty thousands of tribals across the eastern tribal belt of Gujarat including the Narmada district where the massive structure is located were observing a pindrop bandhKitchen fires in homes of an estimated 75000 Adivasis in 72 villages were cold and in keeping with the convention of not cooking when mourning the deadThe bandh was in protest against acquisition of their land without adequate compensation for the statue project the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam and the Garudeswar weir which is a part of the damTribal leader Praful Vasava who has been leading the protest ever since the project was declared by Narendra Modi as a chief minister in 2013 said We are all for giving honour to Sardar Patel but this is something which is at the cost of our very existence Sardar Patel would never have agreed to this he saidAround 72 villages are estimated to be affected by the statue project There are 32 where their rehabilitation has been left half way there are six villages where the Kevadia Colony housing the staff of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam project is situated and seven villages are in Garudeshwar block where only cash compensation was given but other commitments like land for land or jobs have not been fulfilledThe Prime Minister said that keeping the nations unity diversity and sovereignty intact was a responsibility which Patel gave to the countrymenThe Prime Minister also launched an attack on those opposing his mission of reviving contributions of historical figures such as Sardar Patel Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Bhimrao Ambedkar and othersI am amazed that our efforts are seen with political glasses Praising great icons has also brought us criticism It seems we have committed a big crime he saidModi said Sardar disproved of all those who stated that a diverse country like India could remain united after Independence It was because of Patel that the country now meets the world on its own terms and is moving towards becoming an economic and military superpowerThey considered our diversity our biggest weakness but Sardar Patel converted this into our biggest strength India is moving ahead on the path shown by him he saidIf today we are connected from Rajasthans Kutch to Nagalands Kohima and Jammu and Kashmirs Kargil to Tamil Nadus Kanyakumari it is because of Patels strong resolve and determinationHad Sardar Patel not done it the country would have needed visas for offering prayers at Somnath and visiting Charminar in Hyderabad he said recalling Patels effort in integrating over 550 princely states into the Indian Union after the Partition of 1947Modi called the statue built on Sadhu Bet Island on the Narmada river at a cost of Rs 2989 crore as the worlds tallest surpassing Chinas Spring Temple Buddha that stands at 153 metres by 29 metres and nearly double of the 93metre Statue of Liberty in New YorkThree Indian Air Force planes flew past the statue and created the Tricolour in the sky following the inaugurationThe Gujarat government expects the statue to boost tourism with one estimate putting the daily numbers at 15000Apart from the Patels bronze figure other major attractions include a 17kmlong Valley of Flowers a Tent City for tourists near the statue and a museum dedicated to the life and times of PatelThe Tent City located around 4 km from the Statue of Unity can house more than 500 tourists at a timeA viewing gallery at a height of 153 metres has been created inside the statue to enable tourists to have a view of the 1210 metrelong concrete Sardar Sarovar Dam 32 km upstream as well as the nearby Satpura and Vindhya mountain rangesAccording to a government statement the statue has been built using over 70000 tonne of cement 18500 tonne of reinforced steel 6000 tonne of structural steel and 1700 tonne of bronze which was used for the outer cladding of the structureGujarat Governor OP Kohli Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and BJP President Amit Shah were also presentCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in the headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever