‘Some see Sardar as Gujarati, others as Patel… He was a world personality’

He was hitting out at the Opposition Congress that has been calling the project ‘Made in China’, contrary to the government’s “Make in India” slogan, since the statue’s cladding has been made in China.

Modi’s comment, about people associating Sardar Patel to one community, was aimed at Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel, whose outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has Sardar Patel as its mascot.

Modi was addressing a gathering in Rajkot, before inaugurating the Mahatma Gandhi Museum at the erstwhile Alfred High School where Gandhi studied.The Rajkot Municipal Corporation undertook the task of converting the school into a museum at a cost of Rs 26 crore. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy CM Nitin Patel and many other BJP leaders were present at the inauguration.

“Every great man inspires future generations. And therefore we are making a memorial of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Why should we make it small? Sardar’s personality is unmatchable. But as a symbol, when we make a statue for him, it should be double the height of any other statue in the world. It was my resolve to build such a statue,” he said.

Without naming Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Modi said: “Those whose minds are obsessed with election, should think why Sardar Patel was made to be forgotten. Instead, people who find fault with everything, people with limited vision, they see election (gimmick) even in his statue. Some started seeing Sardar as Gujarati. Some started seeing him as belonging to a particular community. Sardar is a world personality and we have done him injustice by making him small. It is our responsibility that the world recognises Sardar Patel’s huge avatar and the mammoth task he did for the unity of India.”

People were finding it difficult to accept that they had forgotten Sardar, but now a ‘Chai-wala’ (tea-man) has started reviving him, he added.

He then went on to remind the gathering of how his party had made memorials for other leaders like Ambedkar, Dhingra, Kalam, Gandhi etc.

For Ambedkar, Modi said, they had bought the house in London where he stayed and turned it into a memorial.