Amit Shah attacks Rahul Gandhi for 'China' dig at Sardar Patel statue

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah attacked Rahul Gandhi hours after the Congress president accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “insulting” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by sourcing from China material for Rs 3,000 crore statue of the freedom movement icon in Gujarat.

Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh, Rahul said the Prime Minister was building the world’s tallest statue, but he was insulting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel because his statue will have the label of “made in China” and not “made in India’’.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s statement, Amit Shah took to Twitter and posted: "At a time when India is uniting to pay tributes to Sardar Patel by building a grand 'Statue of Unity' the Congress president is spreading canards to discredit the project. Shame!"

The BJP president said Rahul Gandhi's family "humiliated" Sardar Patel and unsuccessfully tried to erase his legacy from the people's hearts and minds.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi at a campaign in Madhya Pradesh said: "Look at your phone, look under your shoes and your clothes, all of it is Made in China. Narendra Modi ji is building Sardar Patel's statue in Gujarat. It will be world's tallest statue but it will be Made In China. They have insulted Sardar Patel."

The 182-metre structure, christened the Statue of Unity, has been built facing the Narmada Dam near Vadodara in Gujarat. It will be inaugurated on Sardar Patel's 143rd birth anniversary on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.