Rahul hits out at Centre, claims Statue of Equality built by a Chinese firm
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday New India is ‘China-nirbhar’ (China-dependent) as the Statue of Equality, the 216 feet seated statue of Ramanujacharya, is made in China, he claimed.
“Statue of Equality is Made in China. ‘New India’ is China-nirbhar?” the Wayanad MP tweeted.
Rahul Gandhi’s accusations are based on reports that claimed that the ₹135 crore statute, inaugurated by PM Modi on February 5, was made by China’s Aersun Corporation. The contract was given in August 2015.
The reports said a major work was carried out in China and the statue was brought to India in 1,600 pieces. The installation took about 15 months. An Indian company was also in the fray to win the bidding of the contract, reports said.
The statue is said to be the second tallest statue in a seated position in the world. It is made of panchloha which is an alloy comprising five metals -- copper, silver, gold, zinc and titanium.
The inauguration of the Statue of Equality was a part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramanujacharya.
Earlier, in his speech at Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said the Chinese have a clear vision of what they want to do and India has allowed China and Pakistan to come closer, which has been the biggest strategic mistake. “The Chinese have a very clear vision of what they want to do. The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy has been to keep Pakistan and China separate. This is fundamental for India. What have you done? You have brought them together,” Rahul Gandhi said at his speech in the Lok Sabha.