E-Paper
All Indians welcome in Gujarat, come and see Statue of Unity, says CM Rupani
Gujarat is a multi-cultural state where people from UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan and Odisha have contributed a lot for its development, and we welcome all, says chief minister Vijay Rupani at the UP-Gujarat unity dialogue in Lucknow
In wake of attacks on migrant labourers from north India in some parts of Gujarat, chief minister Vijay Rupani on Monday said people from various parts of the country had contributed to the state’s development and were welcome there. He also invited people from Uttar Pradesh to see the 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
“I am here to invite all the people from Uttar Pradesh to come and watch the Statue of Unity, which would be unveiled by prime minister Narendra Modi on October 31,” he said.
“Gujarat is a multi-cultural state where people from UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan and Odisha have contributed a lot for its development, and we welcome all in Gujarat,” he said in his speech at the UP-Gujarat unity dialogue at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here on Monday. At the dialogue, delegations from UP and Gujarat are highlighting the unity and integrity of the country and role of both states in it.
Speaking on the occasion, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said people from his state were working hard in Gujarat and played an important role in the development of the state. “Every village of UP has contributed for the Statue of Unity. The chief minister of Gujarat is here to invite us, I welcome and accept his invitation,” he said.
He also said that had Sardar Patel, the first home minister of independent India, not taken a harsh stance against the nawabs of Junagadh and Hyderabad, Indians would have required a visa to visit these places. Patel was the architect of modern India, so by making his statue, prime minister Modi had paid a perfect tribute to the national hero, he said.
Adityanath said Gujarat had given so much to the country. “Swami Narayan, Lord Krishnna went to Gujarat and they were the ones who showed the way to development of Gujarat.”
Rupani also said that all Indians were always been told to work for the unity and integrity of the country, “but the earlier governments only propagated history of one family”.
“They even ignored the history of Mahatma Gandhi. Even the picture of Sardar Patel inside Parliament was not installed by them for years. The contribution of freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar, Dr BR Ambedkar was never given any mention. But Prime Minister Modi got the statue constructed as a tribute to Patel,” he said.
