Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will be paying tribute to Basaveshwara statue in London on 18 April 2018. The event will be organised by The Basaveshwara Foundation, a non-profit organization based in UK that has erected the statue of Basaveshwara on the banks of river Thames.
The bust of Basaveshwara, a philosopher and social reformer, is located at Albert Embankment in London opposite the British Parliament. It was unveiled by Modi during his visit to London on 14 November 2015.
It was during Former Mayor of London borough of Lambeth Dr Neeraj Patil's tenure that a prime piece of land was secured for erecting the stature of the 12th century reformer. The project was approved by the planning department of The London borough of Lambeth and subsequently by the British Cabinet minister for culture media and sports as per the Public Statues Act, 1854.
Besides being the first statue to be unveiled by an Indian Prime Minister in the UK, the Basaveshwara statue is also the first conceptual statue approved by the British Cabinet in the vicinity of the Parliament.
The approval was given as a mark of respect to Basaveshwara for promoting democratic ideals, social justice and gender equality.
Dr Patel said that tribute will also be paid to Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of Indian constitution.
Shri Basaveshwara & Dr B .R Ambedkar both fought for eradication of caste discrimination and social justice in the Indian society and unfortunately India still remains divided along caste and religious lines and this must end, said Dr Patil.
