Gandhinagar, Sep 28 (IANS): Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Thursday that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was "Made in Italy and has Italian blood in him", scoffing at the latter's remarks that the world's tallest statue of Sardar Patel being built in Gujarat was made in China.
Nitin Patel told reporters that the Congress chief was making allegations just for the heck of it without knowing the facts that the complete Statue of Unity in honour of Sardar Patel "is made in India and in Gujarat".
He said the government had invited global tenders to build the statue and the lowest bidder, L&T, which is an Indian company, was awarded the contract to build it.
"Only 1,700 tonnes of bronze in it was imported from China. Besides this, there are 70,000 million tonnes of iron and 18,500 million tonnes of steel, all sourced from India," the Deputy Chief Minister said.
"Hundreds of tonnes of iron waste collected from farmers across the country have been used in it," Patel added. Rahul Gandhi had insulted the sentiments of the people of India, especially of Gujarat, he said.
"Rahul Gandhi was himself Made in Italy. He has Italian blood flowing in him," the Deputy Chief Minister asserted.
"We have nothing to say here. It is up to the Congress whether they want a President with 100 per cent Indian blood or a mixed breed with Italian blood."
The Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family had always tried to erase the legacy of Sardar Patel, he said.
"They just cannot swallow any honour being done to Sardar Patel who was even the favourite of Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, they don't want anyone except the Nehru-Gandhi's family to be given credit for the country's independence," Nitin Patel said.
He was reacting to Rahul Gandhi's remarks at a public meeting in Satna in Madhya Pradesh on the Sardar Patel statue.
"Modiji 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," Gandhi said.
The Statue of Unity, which is 182 metres from the ground and 240 metres from the river base of Narmada, has been completed. The inauguration of the statue will be done on October 31 by Modi.