Kevadiya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled the 182-metre giant ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat’s Kevadiya. On the occasion, remembering Sardar Patel’s contribution in uniting the country by annexing over 550 princely states, Modi said had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel not united the country, we would need a visa to see lions at Gir and Hyderabad’s Charminar.
PM Modi said Sardar Patel had “successfully foiled a conspiracy to divide India into pieces” for that he had used force to annex princely states of Junagadh ruled by Nawab and Hyderabad ruled by Nizam, both of whom had wished not to merge their states with the India union.
Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue. The imposing monument is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat’s Narmada district.