A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of Indian nation, will be unveiled at Belgrave Road in Leicester East on Friday.The statue, only the second such mark of Gandhi`s memory in the UK, would be unveiled by British Home Secretary Alan Johnson in the presence of Hindu spiritual leader, Swami Satyamitranand.
Keith Vaz, Indian-origin Labour MP who had taken initiative for installing the statue said, "members of British Asian community would be travelling from all over the UK to attend the event in the city which has the largest Indian population in the UK outside of London."
By 2012, it is predicted that, Leicester will be the first city in Europe with a majority of ethnic minority population.
Indian High Commissioner to the UK Shiv Shankar Mukherjee and Vaz will speak on the occasion while Satyamitranand will arrive from India especially for the unveiling.
Vaz said, "It is absolutely wonderful that the new Home Secretary has agreed to attend and to unveil the new statue. I am so proud that the second statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the United Kingdom will be based in Leicester."
"This is the most important event of the year for the British Asian community and people as the statue will be an excellent symbol of Mahatma Gandhi`s and Leicester`s commitment to diversity," he said.
