The prime minister of India is set to unveil the world’s largest statue, dedicated to Sardar Patel, a nationalist who helped unite modern India after its independence from Britain, next month. Dr Elizabeth Chatterjee said Patel is a favorite of Prime Minister Narenda Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although Patel was a major figure in the BJP’s rival party, the Indian National Congress (INC), Modi “celebrate[s] Patel as the great uniter of India and a defender of the country's Hindu majority.” Dr Chaterjee said Modi's "own image is modeled on Patel's: a man of action, a forceful administrator, and a close friend of big business."More »