New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) On National Unity Day, BJP leaders on Saturday paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, crediting him with laying the foundation for a united India and realising the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
Speaking to IANS, BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had consistently called upon the country to remain united and highlighted Sardar Patel’s contribution to India’s national integration.
“After becoming a Member of Parliament, our Prime Minister Modi called upon the country to unite, highlighting that India was divided into nearly 560 princely states. To build an Akhand Bharat, the responsibility was ultimately entrusted to the first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, who successfully merged the princely states to form an organised and united India,” Bidhuri said.
Union MoS Krishan Pal Gurjar said October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, is celebrated as National Unity Day across the country.
“The country celebrates October 31 as the birth anniversary of Iron Man Sardar Patel. Our Prime Minister decided to celebrate his birthday as Unity Day, leading to events such as the ‘Run for Unity’ being organised across the country. Today, the country is bound in a thread of unity, and the greatest credit for this goes to Sardar Patel, due to whom we see ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’,” he told IANS.
BJP leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said national unity and social harmony were among India’s fundamental values.
“India’s diversity contains an underlying unity. On the outside, there is diversity, but on the inside, there is unity. People need to be reminded of this, and that is why the Prime Minister, after much thoughtful consideration, gave the message to celebrate October 31 as National Unity Day,” Sahasrabuddhe said.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti is being observed on Saturday, marking the birth anniversary of the leader popularly known as the ‘Iron Man of India’. The occasion honours his contribution to India’s freedom struggle, national integration and administrative development.
His birth anniversary is celebrated across the country as National Unity Day, or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas. The day highlights Sardar Patel’s vision of a united India through commemorative events, public pledges, the ‘Run for Unity’ and official ceremonies.
Born in 1875 in Gujarat, Patel is remembered for his decisive role in integrating more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union following Independence. His commitment to national unity earned him the title of the ‘Iron Man of India’.
–IANS
jk/rad
