'Shameless' Congress comparing Sardar Patel with Chinese shoes and shirts: PM Narendra Modi

Rahul Gandhi has recently said that Sardar Patel's statue being built by BJP is made in China.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for alleging that the world's tallest statue of the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel being built by the ruling BJP is made in China.       

Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's remarks, the PM accused the Congress party of indulging in low-level politics and staking claim to Sardar Patel's legacy despite never respecting him during past 70 years of its rule.

The PM also said that the remarks by Congress chief and his party colleagues also showed their hatred for Sardar Patel, who is also regarded as the 'Iron Man of India.'

''I recently came to know about Congress party's claims that Sardar Patel's statue, which will be world's tallest, is China made. They (Congress) have stooped so low that they have now started mud-slinging over Sardar Patel. This shows how much they hate him. How can they compare him with China made shoes & shirts,'' the PM said.

#WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacts to Rahul Gandhi's statement, 'Sardar Patel's statue in Gujarat will be world's tallest statue but 'Made In China' like our shoes & shirts' pic.twitter.com/cvZK7EfZ4c — ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2018

The PM made these statements while interacting with the BJP booth level workers from Bilaspur, Basti, Chittorgarh, Dhanbad and Mandsaur.

The remarks from PM Modi came several hours after Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP government for insulting the country's first Home Minister late Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, saying that the statue being built for him in Gujarat is "Made in China".

"Modi ji had promised to build the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat. But later it was revealed that on the back of the statue it was written Made in China," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a public meeting here. 

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, the Congress chief said, "Look, how he insulted Sardar Patel.''

''His (Patel's) statue was built, and behind it, it was written Made in China," he said.

The Statue of Unity, which is 182 metres from the ground and 240 m from the river base of Narmada, has been completed. 

The inauguration of the statue will be done on Vallabhbhai Patel's 143rd birth anniversary on October 31 by Modi.

BJP president Amit Shah hit back at him and accused the Gandhi family of "humiliating" and unsuccessfully trying to erase the legacy of Sardar Patel.

After Gandhi's charge, Shah accused his family of humiliating Sardar Patel and unsuccessfully trying to erase his legacy. 

"Dear Rahul Gandhi, your family humiliated Sardar Patel, unsuccessfully tried to erase his legacy from the people's hearts and minds. Your lies on the 'Statue of Unity' is another display of your visceral hatred towards Sardar Patel," Shah said in a series of tweets.

''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!,'' Shah tweeted.