Thursday, 31 October 2024
Thursday, 31 October 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the iconic Statue of Unity in Gujarat on the birth anniversary of the country’s first home minister.
Since 2014, Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary has been celebrated on October 31 as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’, or National Unity Day.
PM Modi arrived at the world’s tallest statue, dedicated to Patel, near Ekta Nagar in the state’s Narmada district in the morning and offered flower petals to pay his respects to the Iron Man of India.
“On the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, I pay my deepest respects to him. The unity and sovereignty of the nation were his utmost priorities in life. His personality and deeds will continue to inspire every generation of our country,” Modi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Modi is on a two-day Gujarat visit from Wednesday. On the first day, he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects as well as new tourist attractions worth Rs 284 crore.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and other dignitaries on Thursday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, observed as National Unity Day.
The tributes were paid at the statue of India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister at Patel Chowk here.
"Humble tributes from the grateful nation on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man, who ensured the unification of the country! Sardar Patel was a great patriot and a leading nation builder. We should take inspiration from his ideals to work relentlessly for nation building," Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi.
She also paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel at Gantantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Congress on Thursday paid its tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary and alleged continuous efforts are being made to "misappropriate" his legacy by those whose "ideological gurus" opposed the Quit India Movement and criticised the Constitution.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Respectful tributes to the Iron Man of India, the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country, former Congress President and our idol, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who made an independent India a complete country, on his birth anniversary." "Sardar Patel's personality and thoughts will always inspire the coming generations to serve the nation," he said on X.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi remembered Patel as the leader who tied the country together in a thread of unity and integrity.
"His footprints that united India and established love and brotherhood in the country always guide us," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh hailed him as a pivotal figure in the freedom movement and shaping the creation of post-1947 India.
"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is an immortal part of the nation's history. He was also a stalwart Congressman. Continuous efforts are being made to (mis)appropriate his legacy by those whose ideological gurus opposed the Quit India Movement in which the Sardar was jailed for almost three years and who criticised the Constitution, a key committee of which was chaired by the Sardar later," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This only exposes the insecurities and hypocrisy of the (mis)appropriators," he added.
Ramesh said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated a bronze bust of Patel in Godhra on February 13, 1949. An inscription below the bust also bears out this fact, he said.
The bust had been installed by local Congressmen in Godhra, because this is where the Sardar had started his legal practice, he said.
"Nehru had come to Godhra after laying the foundation for the educational township Vallabh Vidya Nagar near Anand - named of course after Sardar Patel. At Godhra, Nehru spoke of how averse he was to the unveiling of statues, especially for living personalities - but that he had made an exception in the case of Sardar Patel, because they were the closest of colleagues and because of the Sardar's unique contributions to the making of Independent India," Ramesh said.
"This is among the very few, if not the only, busts of Sardar Patel erected when he was alive," he said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X gave her tributes to "one of the architects of modern India." "From India's freedom struggle to the creation of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji's contribution is an example of service and dedication towards the country," she said.
The Congress, on its official X handle, said Patel will always continue to inspire the people of the country.
Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India's struggle for Independence.
Renowned for his exceptional leadership and unyielding commitment to national integration, he is fondly remembered as the "Iron Man of India." He died in 1950.
