lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 18, 2019 12:32 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Statue of Unity, installed in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was not brought up with the intention of causing “disrespect” to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country. Patel was the deputy prime minister in the Nehru cabinet.

Sardar Patel’s statue was not intended to disrespect Nehru, news agency PTI quoted PM Modi saying at an election rally in Gujarat’s Amreli, where he asked his audience if they had googled “which is the tallest statue in the world and where is it situated?”

He said it was a matter of pride for Gujarat to have the tallest statue of the world. The prime minister has been eloquent in praising Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and critical of Pandit Nehru over several issues including Kashmir.

PM Modi has in the past accused the Congress of practising dynastic politics and exalting members of the Nehru-Gandhi family at the expense of leaders like Sardar Patel, to the 182-metre Statue of Unity is dedicated.

While inaugurating the statue in October last year, PM Modi said, “Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first prime minister. Had he been the first prime minister, the country’s fate and face would have been completely different.”

Later at a public rally in Chhattisgarh ahead of assembly polls, the prime minister had said, “I want to challenge them (the Congress)…Let some good leader of Congress outside the Gandhi family become the party president for only five years, then I will say that Nehruji really created a truly democratic system.”

He cited terrorism in Kashmir Valley, Pulwama terror attack and the Doklam stand-off with China at his Amreli rally. He said his government has managed to contain terrorism to only “two and a half” districts in Jammu and Kashmir and that no bomb blast took place outside the state in last five years.

“In the last five years no bomb blast took place in any other part of the country. We managed to contain terrorism to just two and a half districts in Jammu and Kashmir,” said PM Modi.

Gujarat goes to the polls in the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 23 for all its 26 parliamentary seats. The BJP had won all the seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.