New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 28-foot statue of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose at India Gate here on Thursday evening.
The statue, which replaced a hologram statue of Netaji that was unveiled earlier this year to mark his 125th birth anniversary, has been carved from a monolithic block of granite weighing 280 metric tonnes.
Modi also inaugurated the Kartavya Path, which Rajpath will be renamed as.
Interacting with labourers and workers who helped with the erection of Netaji’s statue, the PM thanked them for their contribution and invited them to attend the 2023 Republic Day parade.
In his speech, Modi remembered the massive contribution of Netaji to India’s freedom struggle and said that the government after Independence did not pay due respect to him.
“Today, a huge statue of our national leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has been installed near India Gate. At the time of British slavery, there was a statue of the representative of the British Raj. Today, the country has also established the life of a modern, strong India by installing the statue of Netaji in the same place,” the PM said.
“Subhas Chandra Bose was such a great man who was beyond the challenge of position and resources. Such was his acceptance that the whole world considered him a leader. He had courage and self-respect. He had ideas, he had visions. He had leadership potential, had policies,” said PM Modi.
“If, after independence, our India had followed the path of Subhash Babu, what heights would the country be at today! But unfortunately, this great hero of ours was forgotten after independence. His views, even the symbols associated with him, were ignored,” Modi said.
