It is thanks to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, that the Indians do not need a visa for Gir, Charminar: Narendra Modi

Congress President Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that without the presence of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, "Shiv Bhakts would need a visa to worship the deity in Somnath". Gandhi had gone to Somnath in November 2017. before the badembly elections in the state.

Prime Minister inaugurated Wednesday at Kevadia the highest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity. Limiting widely his speech to the contribution of Sardar Patel, the Indian prime minister widely acknowledged for his unification of the country after the departure of Britain, Modi said that without his commitments, the Indians should have ask for visas to see the Gir or Charminar lions in Hyderabad.

In attacking his critics, Modi said he questioned the daring of some people in the country who blame him for having "praised the big sons of the country like Sardar Patel". "We have the feeling that we have committed a major crime," he said.

The inauguration of the statue coincided with the protests of the local tribal population against the statue built on land acquired controversially by the government for the project.

Questions were also raised about the fact that the statue would be an effort by the BJP to appropriate the legacy of rulers like Patel or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to make up for the lack of icons of the persecution of saffron. Recently, the Prime Minister said that the contributions of leaders such as Patel, Bose and Ambedkar were set aside to raise "one family" above the others while unveiling the tricolor in the Red Fort to celebrate the 75 e anniversary of the proclamation of the Azad Hind government by Subhas Chandra Bose. He took a blow to the Nehru-Gandhi family of Congress.

Modi also reminded the public that the idea of ​​building the world's highest statue had been shared by people exactly eight years ago in Ahmedabad as chief minister of Gujarat, adding that one " mbad movement "had been created for the statue across the country. as iron tools and farm soil were donated by lakhs of farmers from all over the country.

Modi also took the opportunity to say that India today is talking to the world on its own terms and seeking to become a great economic and military powerhouse. He also highlighted the work done by his government, saying, "We are working to build concrete housing for all homeless people in the country. We electrified eighteen thousand villages, where electricity was not available after so many years of freedom and where our government is trying to electrify every house in the country.