Defying threats to stay away, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- the world's tallest -- which continues to generate mountain-sized criticisms since work on it began in 2014.
The $400 million (Rs29.9 billion) statue, which is officially called the Statue of Unity, is dedicated to the Indian independence movement titan Vallabhbhai Patel from Gujarat. Both Modi and Patel are Gujaratis. The statue was inaugurated on Patel's birthday, which is today.
Patel, who is revered by Indian nationalists such as Modi, was the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. A barrister and statesman, Patel was also a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and a founding father of the Republic of India. He played a leading role in India's struggle for independence from the British Empire. He died in 1950.
The site of the Statue of Unity is located in a remote corner of Gujarat State facing the Narmada Dam (3.2 km away) on the river island called Sadhu Bet near Rajpipla. The statue was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar and was built by an army of local and foreign workers, including hundreds from China.
Patel's statue dwarfs the 128 meter-tall Spring Temple Buddha in China, the world's next-biggest statue. It's also more than twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.
True to their word, disgruntled residents of the area protested Modi's arrival. Patel's statue has continuously been criticized for its gargantuan cost and the ecological damage it cost to the surrounding environment. The project to build the statue also displaced 185 million families who now demand more compensation for their lands used in the project.
Angry locals previously warned Modi to stay away from the inauguration. Modi did attend but protected by 5,000 police and security personnel. Posters of Modi with Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani were either defaced or ripped away prior to the statue's inauguration.
Last week, the heads of 22 surrounding villages warned Modi not to attend the inauguration. They announced their determination to not welcome Modi, and if Modi persisted and did arrive, not to welcome him.
They claim Modi and his companies 'have not only destroyed the natural resources but are openly and brazenly exploiting them for business.' They also claim the statue had destroyed the Narmada River, India's fifth longest. They also noted the local population didn't have enough schools, hospitals and drinking water.
"If Sardar Patel was alive today he would never have agreed to build such a statue at such a huge cost," alleged local leader and former member of parliament, Amarsinh Chaudhary.
