Facing criticism for allocating Rs. 200 crore for the ‘Statue of Unity’ project in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party defended the decision and said it was not apologetic for setting aside the monies to pay homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said the nation needs a memorial to pay tribute to the Sardar.
“The Statue of Unity is a Rs. 4,000-Rs, 5,000 crore project and this money [Rs. 200 crore] is only for the statue. We are proud of the legacy of Sardar Patel, the nation and the coming generations need to be told what his contribution is. Why should there only be statues of Indira Gandhi,” he said.
As for the allocations for a war and a police memorial, the Minister said it was for the first time since the country’s Independence that memorials to pay tribute to those who laid down their lives were being constructed. “The need of the hour is works for India’s renewal,” he said, dismissing concerns that the government was spending huge sums of money on memorial projects instead of focussing on revival of economy. Social media was also abuzz with comments that the government earmarked more for the statue than for women’s safety.
The ‘Statue of Unity’ envisages a statue of Sardar Patel on the banks of the Narmada Dam near Bharuch in Gujarat and it will be the tallest statue in the world.
War memorial A war memorial will be constructed in Princess’ Park in New Delhi and has been allocated Rs. 100 crore.
“This is a common man’s budget; it has touched upon almost every issue. To say it is good for capital markets only is incorrect; it is a budget for the Capital market and rural market. To ensure that farmers get better value for their produce it speaks about developing a National Market and Price Stabilisation Fund,” Mr. Prasad said.
