London:
Plans to erect a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square here have received an official clearance.
Westminster City Council granted planning permission for the sculpture commemorating the Father of the Nation, which will be placed close to the statue of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid revolutionary.
Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and UK Cabinet ministers William Hague and George Osborne had announced plans for the memorial during their recent visits to India.
The bronze sculpture, to be created by Philip Jackson, will show Gandhi wearing a shawl and traditional ‘dhoti’, with his hands clasped, the Evening Standard newspaper reported.
Inspired by photographs of Gandhi on the steps of 10 Downing Street during a visit to London in 1931, the statue portrays him as “a thoughtful, determined, compassionate man”, according to the documents submitted to the council.
“There is no doubt that Gandhi is a world-renowned figure who should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln, who both fought for civil liberties,” said Richard Beddoe, Westminster City Council’s deputy cabinet member for the built environment.
“Parliament Square has a long history of peaceful protest and democracy in action.
“As such, it is a more than suitable location for a statue to Mahatma Gandhi, and we are also pleased to see one of the best international sculptors in Philip Jackson on board to help deliver this project,” he said.
