Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday taunted Narendra Modi’s “atmanirbhar” (self-reliant) boast by pointing out that the Statue of Equality the Prime Minister inaugurated a few days ago in Telangana had been built in China.

“Statue of Equality is Made in China. ‘New India’ is China-nirbhar?” the Congress leader tweeted.

The statue, installed on the outskirts of Hyderabad, commemorates saint and social reformer Sri Ramanujacharya on his 1,000th birth anniversary. Ramanujacharya had preached equality and humanity.

According to the project website, the 216ft statue was made by the Chinese corporation Aerosun for Rs 135 crore. It is located in a 45-acre complex. The entire project is worth Rs 1,000 crore, funded entirely by donations from devotees.

For the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat — called the Statue of Liberty — bronze panels
had been cast in China even as the project was executed by the Indian company Larsen & Toubro.