Will build a Sardar Patel memorial - a statue of unity, bigger than Statue of Liberty: Narendra Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections Sunday said his government wants a unity memorial double that of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty in the bay off New York City, of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, was a gift to the United States from the people of France and was dedicated Oct 28, 1886.

"We will build a statue of unity as a memorial for Sardar Patel who unified this country. This statue will be two times bigger than the Statue of Liberty," Modi, addressing a rally for the ex-servicemen here, said.

He said Patel, the country's first home minister, had made immense contribution in unification of the country but has been forgotten.

For the ambitious project, Modi urged farmers to send him some iron metal. "We will need just 200-300 gm iron from each village in the country," he said.