The world's tallest statue, standing 240 metres high, is being unveiled in a remote area of Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Statue of Unity, which is double the size of the Statue of Liberty, cost around $420 million and needed 700 tonnes of iron.

The man it's depicting will be unfamiliar to many outside the country. Sardar Patel - nicknamed, appropriately, 'iron man' - helped unify India's 500-odd princely states after independence.

Critics say the enormous statue is an unsubtle attempt by Modi's BJP party to reclaim an Indian national hero.

The 'iron man' is normally associated with the opposition Congress party.

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