PM, HM Shah Lead Tributes to Sardar Patel Birth Anniversary, Modi Visits Statue of Unity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, remembering his visionary statesmanship and the extraordinary dedication with “which he shaped the destiny of our nation”.

The Prime Minister paid floral tribute to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat.

“On the Jayanti of Sardar Patel, we remember his indomitable spirit, visionary statesmanship and the extraordinary dedication with which he shaped the destiny of our nation,” he also wrote in a post on X.

“His commitment to national integration continues to guide us. We are forever indebted to his service,” he added.

President Droupadi Murmu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Delhi LG VK Saxena and Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi also paid floral tributes at the statue of Sardar Patel in New Delhi’s Patel Chowk on his birth anniversary.

Union Home minister Amit Shah also administered the Unity oath and flagged off ‘Run For Unity’ in Delhi on the occasion.

“On the occasion of Sardar Patel Jayanti, I extend my wishes for Unity Day…The entire country celebrates this day as Unity Day since 2014. We all know that after independence, the British left this country to disintegrate. At that time, our iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel did the work of making the map of India by uniting more than 550 princely states into a thread of unity in a few days,” he said while speaking at the event.

Earlier in a post on ‘X’, Shah said unity and prosperity of India was the sole aim of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s life.

Shah said with his rock-solid will power, political wisdom and hard work, Patel had worked to make India — then divided into more than 550 princely states — a united nation.

“Sardar Saheb’s dedicated life to the nation and nation-building work as the country’s first Home Minister will always inspire us. Tributes to Iron Man Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary and best wishes to all the countrymen on Rashtriya Ekta Divas,” he wrote on ‘X’ in Hindi.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath also paid floral tributes at the statue of Sardar Patel in Lucknow.

Born in Gujarat in 1875, Patel was a lawyer and emerged as a leading Congress leader and associate of Mahatma Gandhi during the independence struggle.

As the first home minister of the independent India, he is credited with uniting hundreds of princely states into the Union with his mix of persuasion and firmness.