A new statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London ’ s Parliament Square was described as ‘ a magnificent tribute ’ by David Cameron after he unveiled it yesterday . The 9ft bronze figure marks 100 years since Gandhi began his peaceful struggle for India ’ s independence from the British . At the ceremony , a band played Indian classical music on sitars , the country ’ s flags festooned the square and schoolchildren stood in the crowd to watch . Prime Minister David Cameron meets with Gandhi 's grandson Gopalkrishna , right , at Westminster . The statue of the Indian leader was unveiled in Westminster today by the nation 's finance minister . Mr Cameron described Gandhi as 'one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics ' Mr Cameron said : ‘ This statue is a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics – and by putting Mahatma Gandhi in this famous square , we are giving him an eternal home in our country . ‘ Many of his teachings remain as potent today as when he first made them . ‘ This statue celebrates the incredibly special friendship between the world ’ s oldest democracy and its largest , as well as the universal power of Gandhi ’ s message. ’ The privately funded work , created by Philip Jackson , shows Gandhi dressed in a shawl and traditional dhoti skirt , with his hands clasped . Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley , who helped unveil the statue , said : ‘ How many countries celebrate the life work of a man who opposed it with vehemence for more than three decades ? Not many. ’ Gandhi stands opposite a statue of Sir Winston Churchill , who described him as a 'half-naked …seditious fakir ' . The statue by Philip Jackson is located on Parliament Square , directly across from Winston Churchill .
David Cameron described Gandhi as ' a towering figure in world politics ' The 9ft statue was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of Gandhi 's campaign . Gandhi 's statue is located in Parliament Square across from Churchill . Churchill described Gandhi as a 'half-naked …seditious fakir '