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It's big, it's bronze and it's brand new. But the Statue of Unity, a monument that stretches nearly 200 meters high and weighs more than 2,000 tons, divides India.
According to the Guardian, 5,000 police officers monitored the crowds on Wednesday as they converged on a remote corner of the state of Gujarat to see Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally present to the world his highest newly fabricated statue.
At a complex ceremony including jet fighter overflights and rose petal spray helicopters, there was no reason to believe that the 30 billion rupee (405 million USD) monolith over four years had attracted as much as 40 percent. at its unveiling.
This particular corner of the state of Gujarat is home to a large part of tribal groups with historical ties to the land and an allegedly protected status.
The chiefs of more than 20 villages produced a letter asking Modi to stay away from the inauguration of the statue, which stands twice as high as the Statue of Liberty to the States. -United.
However, saluting Sardar Patel, legend of independence, a football legend, which stands for 600 meters of bronze, is a "huge" symbol of Indian prowess, Modi said the Statue of Unity was his "answer to all those who dispute the existence of India ".
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The big bronze Iron Man of India
Patel was the prime minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister of India. He earned the title of "Iron Man of India" after uniting states and warring principalities to form India's largest state after losing the yoke of colonial Britain.
During its construction, the Statue of Unity was a clear source of division. Lambasted like a deep waste of money and a white elephant who threw the locals on a whim. The BBC announced that farmers and tribal protesters were arrested not later than Tuesday, when violence escalated against what was a prime minister's pet project.
The notoriously heavy government of Gujarat has reportedly relocated some 185 families to make room for the last Mecca of tourism in India, compensating them for 1,200 acres (475 hectares) of new land.
Modi certainly hopes that the surprisingly detailed rendition of more than 2,000 tons, located 125 kilometers from the capital, Ahmedabad, will become a nationalist pilgrimage for about 2.5 million visitors each year.
China will note that its South Asian rival has effectively eclipsed the Henan Spring Temple Buddha (鲁山 大佛) which, at 420 feet, was previously the tallest statue in the world – employing hundreds of Chinese workers.
