Overview

• Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi unveiled the bronze statue at Daulat Singh Park on the Ridge in Shimla, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and top state leaders in attendance.
• Priyanka Gandhi accused the Union government of neglecting Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh after this monsoon’s disasters, citing 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods, 148 major landslides, about 270 deaths and losses of roughly ₹5,426 crore.
• BJP leader Vipin Singh Parmar countered that the Centre extended assistance exceeding ₹20,000 crore over two years under multiple schemes and alleged poor utilisation by the state government.
• Police deployed roughly 400 personnel, divided the city into security sectors and imposed temporary traffic and heavy-vehicle restrictions as thousands gathered for the ceremony and rally.
• The statue was produced by the Ram V. Sutar firm, though reports differ on specifications, with some describing a six-foot work costing about ₹40 lakh and others a nine-foot version near ₹30 lakh.