Patna: BJP leaders from five states on Sunday took part in a workshop for collection of iron for a giant statue of unity in Gujarat to be constructed in the memory of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who has been widely credited with merger of various princely states into the Union of India.
The workshop was attended among others by Jaswant Singh, Suman Bhai Bhabhor, Jaidrath Singh Parmal and Dilip Kumar Viraji Thakur (all Gujarat ministers); Gujarat Assembly Deputy Speaker Mangubhai Patel, Purushottam Rupala (MP), Haren Pathak (ex-Union minister), besides former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and senior leaders from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Sikkim.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said that the state unit of BJP will collect iron from all villagers for the proposed statue of unity in Gujarat as Bihar was indebted to Patel for his contributions in election of Dr Rajendra Prasad as the country's first President.
Rupala, in his speech, spoke about importance of statue and said that it was a small effort by the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to unite the country.
The iron collection cooperation committee national coordinate and BJP leader Omprakash Dankad recalled Patel's contributions in unifying the nation by integrating over 500 princely states into the Union of India and said the statue will inspire the succeeding generations about the great leader.
