The & # 39; Statue of Unity & # 39; reigns in India

The statue of unity reigns in India. The highest in the world. 182 meters of bronze, reinforced concrete and steel. Gigantic, twice as big as the Statue of Liberty in New York. A symbol representing the figure of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel, prime minister and one of the fathers of the country's peaceful unification.

The head of government, the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, presided over the opening ceremony between extraordinary security measures. A deployment of 5,000 police to avoid any challenge to local communities, contrary to this expense.

And the statue cost 29,900 million rupees (358 million euros), more than double the amount requested by the State of Gujarat in New Delhi for infrastructure projects.

Narendra Modi said the statue of Patel, "the Iron Man", would be a first-rate tourist attraction. However, its detractors do not have the same opinion, because the nearest city, Vadodara, is 100 km away. It is also a rural area where rail links are as rare as hotels.

Hindu nationalists consider that history treated Patel unfairly in favor of Pandit Nehru, considered the father of India.