 Mahatma Gandhi |
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in Leicester, the southeast British city known as Little India for its Indian-origin population.
Even though the locals were opposing the installation of the statue, no protest was made during the unveiling of the seven-foot icon, sitting on a five-foot plinth, of India's independence hero.
British Home Secretary Alan Johnson joined the Hindu spiritual leader Swami Satyamitranand at the unveiling of the Gandhi statue, the second such in Britain, in Belgrave Road in Leicester. Leicester is the home to the city's thriving Indian business community. About 280,000 Indian-origin people live in the city.
The statue has had a rough ride since first being proposed.
Last year, a group of residents had set up the 'No Gandhi' campaign on the British prime minister's Downing Street e-petition website, a move that prompted supporters of the proposal to write in from as far afield as New Zealand, the US and India.
Opponents argued that Gandhi had no ties with Leicester and suggested erecting a statue of local football hero Gary Lineker instead. But the council approved the request.
The other Gandhi statue is located the Tavistock Park, a leafy garden in north-central London.
