Sardar Pate’s name has been sidelined by the previous Parties , Govt. Says Modi
NEW DELHI : In a veiled attack on the Congress ahead of Gujarat polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed “previous governments” for ignoring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy to unite the country. “India is a country full of diversity. ‘Unity in Diversity’ is our speciality,” Mr. Modi said while flagging off the ‘Run for Unity’ on the birth anniversary of the first deputy Prime Minister at the Dhyan Chand Stadium here.
Apparently targeting previous governments led by the Congress, Mr. Modi said: “People earlier tried their best to ensure that the contribution of Sardar Patel was forgotten and diminished.”“But the people and the youth of India respects him and his contribution towards the building of our nation,” the Prime Minister said. Some parties and governments in the past have tried to run down and erase the contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in unifying the country immediately after Independence.
Modi’s comment bears significance as it came ahead of the assembly elections in Gujarat, the state Patel belonged to. Paying rich tribute to Patel, the prime minister said he had not only saved the country from the difficulties being faced immediately after Independence, but succeeded in uniting the whole nation.
Flagging off a run to commemorate the 142nd birth anniversary of Patel, Modi said due to the statesmanship and political acumen of the country’s first home minister, India is united today despite the colonial rulers’ wish that it was disintegrated into smaller states after Independence.
The British government wished that India was disintegrated into smaller states. But Patel used all means (sam, dam, dand, bhed, rajneeti, kutneeti) and succeeded in uniting all princely states into a single nation within a very small span of time,” he said. Modi said generation after generation of Indians will continue to remember Patel, particularly the youth, who will carry forward his legacy.
The ‘Run for Unity’, which began from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, saw the participation of a large number of people, including sports personalities like Sardar Singh, Dipa Karmakar, Suresh Raina and Karnam Malleswari. The 1.5km run in New Delhi came to an end near the India Gate C-Hexagon-Shah Jahan Road radial.
Earlier, President Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu, the prime minister, and home minister Rajnath Singh paid floral tributes to Patel on Parliament street where his statues is installed. The prime minister said everyone in the country is proud of Patel’s contribution to India before it attained freedom and during the early years after the nation became independent.
“We salute Sardar Patel on his jayanti. His momentous service and monumental contribution to India can never be forgotten,” he said. Stressing that the diversity is India’s strength, Modi said there are many languages, religion, culture, customs, lifestyles and food habits. “But these are our strength and these are our bright future.India is proud of our diversity,” he said.
The prime minister said first president of India Rajendra Prasad had said that India has become a united nation only due to administrative acumen and strong leadership of Patel but the country was not giving him due respect. “Rajendra Babu must be happy now, wherever is his soul, that we are remembering the contribution of Patel even though some people tried to run down and erase his contribution.The nation will continue to remember Patel,” he said.
Modi said in some countries, people of the same faith are even not ready to tolerate each other and want to harm and kill each other. But in India, there is diversity yet all are united. “Our country must remain united.It is the responsibility of the 125 crore people to ensure that India remains united,” he said.
“Sardar Patel was the main force behind upholding India’s unity and integrity at the time of Independence,” he said. The central government observes 31 October as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. Patel was born on 31 October 1875, and passed away on 15 December 1950.(With Agency Inputs ).
