Uttarakhand villages to provide iron, clay for Vallabhbhai statue

Dehradun, Nov 22: Uttarakhand villages will provide iron and clay for the construction of the proposed 'Statue of Unity' in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, a dream project of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

BJP workers will begin collecting about one kg of iron and 250 gm of clay from each village across Uttarakhand on the death anniversary of Patel on December 15 when the party is organising a country-wide marathon named "Run for Unity" to pay tribute to the great leader, former state BJP chief Bacchi Singh Rawat told reporters here today.

"Half to one Kg of used iron and 250 gms of clay from a holy or sacred spot from each village will be collected and sent through Zilla Panchayats to Gujarat as Uttarakhand's contribution to the construction of India's iron man's statue," Rawat, who is the state coordinator for Statue of Unity, said.

Party workers at the grassroots have been asked to participate in the run and collect iron tools and clay as specified from each village, he said.

Gujarat plans to erect a 182 metre statue, the world's tallest at Sadhu Bet, an island near the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

PTI