Bringing the issue of legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel back in public discourse, Congress today accused BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi of "misguiding" the common people on leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and the independent India's first home minister.
"People of the state are being misguided about Sardar Patel and I want to ask a question to those who are talking about constructing the 'Statue of Unity' that why were they silent despite being in power for more than one-and-half decades", said Union Minister of Mines Dinshaw Patel.
He was speaking on the occasion of inaugurating Rajkot-Sarai Rohilla (Delhi) weekly express train service here.
The "statue of unity" is said to be the dream project of the Gujarat chief minister who had last year laid the foundation stone for the statue coming up near Sardar Sarovar dam project.
"They (leaders) are talking about spending crores of rupees on the project but have contributed nothing to Sardar Patel museum at Shahibaug in Ahmedabad", said Patel, also the chairman of Sardar Patel Memorial Society.
He also accused the state government of working only for the benefit of corporates, saying the UPA government at Centre has taken a number of steps for welfare of the common man in the fields of health and education.
On the train service, he said the train would run every Thursday between Rajkot and Sarai Rohilla (Delhi) and return to Rajkot on every Friday.
