PM Narendra Modi at the 'Statue of Equality' in Hyderabad. (PTI photo)
The Statue of Equality, inaugurated by PM Modi last Saturday added another feather to BJP’s already crowded cap of financial extravagance. Each feather is proudly earned after the building of a memorial, temple, or statue to regain India’s ‘lost’ sense of cultural or religious identity.
The Statue of Equality
The 216-feet tall statue honoring the 11th-century Bhakti saint Sri Ramanujacharya is constructed on 34 acres in Hyderabad. The metallic statue, considered amongst the world’s tallest, is part of a complex that includes 108 Divyadesams (model temples) and an educational gallery detailing the works and philosophies of Sri Ramanujacharya. The project, the foundation stone of which was laid in 2014, has been conceptualised by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram. The inauguration of the 120kg statue, representing the years he lived, is part of the 12-day celebration of Sri Ramanujacharya's 1,000th birth anniversary.
The statues of our Gurus are the way to achieve knowledge - PM Narendra Modi
BJP’s belief in statues to be a guiding light to achieve knowledge and showing us the light was clear in PM Modi’s speech during the inauguration when he said, “Today Ramanujacharya ji is giving us the message of equality in the form of a huge Statue of Equality. I pray that what Ramanujacharya preached will guide the world. The statues of our Gurus are the way to achieve knowledge.” The statue’s role in resurrecting the ancient cultural legacy of India was established when he said, “The statue will once again strengthen the ancient culture of India. What Ramanujacharya gained through years of travel and learning will now be available here”.
PM Modi’s words of praise for the Statue of Equality and its role in strengthening India’s cultural legacy were respectfully returned by Chinna Jeeyar Swami who said PM Modi held the head of India and the Hindus high in front of the world.
Financial Outlay & Impact
The Statue of Equality cost an estimated ₹1,000 crore (USD 130 million) to build. The trust responsible for the development claims that the funding was entirely from the donations of devotees. Let’s also look at the financial health of Telangana, the state hosting the “Statue of Equality”, through key parameters.
Telangana currently has an outstanding debt of ₹3.1 lakh crore (USD 42 billion) which is equivalent to 27.4% of its GSDP. The state’s debt has increased approx. 282% in the 5 years between 2016 and 2021.
Telangana was able to spend only 0.7% of its GSDP on healthcare in 2020-21. The all-India overall public healthcare expenditure is just 1.4% of its GDP compared to 8.5% in the USA and 3% in China.
Telangana’s expenditure on education in 2020-21 was just 1.2% of its GSDP. India's total public expenditure on education has remained between 2.8% to 3.1% of its GDP since 2013. As per the recommendations of the National Education Policy in 1968 and re-iterated subsequently over the years, India needs to spend at least 6% of its GDP on education. In comparison, China's expenditure on education is 4.2% of its GDP.
Expenditure on statues and memorials over the last 5 years
Approx. ₹14,000 crore (USD 1.9 billion) has been spent/allocated for building statues, memorials and temples over the last 5 years.
- Proposed (BJP) – The statue of Swami Vivekananda in Karnataka, costing approx. ₹1,900 crore (USD 250 million).
- Under Const (BJP) – The statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, costing approx. ₹2,500 crore (USD 330 million).
- Under Const (BJP) – The statue of Lord Hanuman in Karnataka, costing approx. ₹1,200 crore (USD 150 million).
- Under Const (Shiv Sena) – The “Shivaji Memorial Statue’ in Mumbai, costing ₹3,600 crore (USD 480 million), to honor the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- 2022 (BJP) – The ‘Statue of Equality’ in Hyderabad, built at a cost of ₹1,000 crore (USD 130 million), honoring the 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
- 2020 (BJP) – The ‘Statue of Peace’ in Rajasthan, cost unknown, for Jainacharya Shri Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj, a Jain monk, who lived from 1870-1954, and spread the teachings of Lord Mahavira.
- 2018 (BJP) - The ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat, built at a cost of ₹3,000 crore (USD 420 million), for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India.
Surely there is no Indian walking the planet who is not proud of India’s cultural identity and does not want to see it taken forward. But when cultural ideologies have to compete with basic human necessities and the need for survival, the lenses through which cultural and religious expenditure is hailed, need to be changed.
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Jitesh Surjiani
Jitesh Surjiani is passionate about progressive change for India and its citizens. He writes about issues that are roadblocks in improving quality of life and interpersonal interactions as well as areas of public governance that fall short in intent and action.
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