Narendra Modi's Sardar Patel statue eyes multiple Guinness records

Trust Narendra Modi to think big. His pledge to build the world's tallest statue of Sardar Patel, apart from electrifying every nook and corner of the country, aims to set half a dozen Guinness world records. The optimum outreach campaign has the same structure as the movement for Ramjanmabhoomi over two decades back. While the BJP had Sangh Parivar to push the Ayodhya agenda, Modi's campaign is driven by an NGO, Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), in order to avoid communal overtones, reports Harit Mehta.

Tallest in the world

When built, 182-metre tall Sardar Patel statue at Kevadia will be world's tallest. The pre-bid process is over and final tendering process will close on January 23. Work on the Rs 2,000-crore project will begin by March and the statue will be built within 40 months. This is reminiscent of the grand temple at Ayodhya which the BJP once promised.

Biggest iron collection drive

About 700 tonnes of iron will be collected from five lakh villages. Designer boxes will carry the message, 'Sardar ne desh ko ek banaya, hum desh ko shresth banayenge' One piece of iron will be collected from each village and put in the box. These boxes will be first brought to Gandhinagar before being dispatched to Kevadia. Remember the collection of 'Ram shilas' from villages in the early 90s.

Elaborate essay competition

Around 50 lakh students from two lakh secondary and higher secondary schools have been invited to participate in an essay competition on Sardar Patel. As many as 5,500 prizes worth Rs 2.5 crore will be given at various levels. This is tipped to be the biggest essay competition ever held.

Mammoth photo collage

Aphoto collage with images of all sarpanchs and elected representatives of local bodies across India will be set up. A 200-seater call centre is working in Gandhinagar to assist these people upload their images. This will be the largest photo collage with around 10 lakh images of leaders of 1.87 lakh gram panchayats and 80,000 urban wards.

Run at 500 locations

A simultaneous 'Run for Unity' to be held at over 500 locations in every nook and corner of the country. Already over 15 lakh applications from 900 centres have come and the organizers are still counting.

Longest cloth petition

During the iron collection, prominent residents of each village will sign a petition printed on cloth. These five lakh pieces will be brought back along with the boxes of iron and stitched into one. The petition will be preserved at Kevadia, making it the longest petition in the world — about 80 km long. The 'Shreshth Rajya' slogan is being equated with 'Ram Rajya' — promising an overall sense of wellbeing.