HM Amit Shah pays homage to Sardar Patel on his death anniversary

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday paid homage to Sardar Patel and said that Patel was an inspiration for the whole country.
“Tribute to the nation’s inspiration Sardar Saheb on his death anniversary. Sardar Patel was not just a person of imagination, but a Karmayogi who worked hard to make his imagination a reality. The country considered him as Sardar only because of Himalayan strong will and leadership ability,” tweeted Shah.
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur also paid tribute to the Iron Man of India and said that Patel was a hero in uniting the country. “Grateful tribute to Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the hero and proponent of the concept of ‘Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat’, who converted the divided India into ‘Akhand Bharat’ on the basis of visionary thinking and Iron Man, Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji on his death anniversary,” tweeted Thakur.
Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31st October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat. A successful lawyer by profession, his life encountered a turning point when Mahatma Gandhi chose him as his deputy commander to lead the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918. Thus, as the leader of a peasants’ protest, Vallabhbhai Patel found the trajectory of his life turning towards a path of public service.
In 1924, Patel was elected President of the Ahmedabad Municipal Board. Taking charge, he revamped the drainage, sanitation, cleanliness and water distribution systems of Ahmedabad.
To their sheer awe, the citizens witnessed the President of the Board taking up a broom and dust cart himself, and cleaning the Harijan quarter of the city. In him, the city of Ahmedabad found a new Hero.Vallabhbhai Patel became increasingly involved in the struggle for independence.
It was his role in the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 that elevated him to a new pinnacle of national glory. The peasant movement that became a subject of great discussion across the nation demonstrated the Sardar’s organisational capacity and enthusiasm for tireless action. It was here that he earned the title of ‘Sardar’, the fond epithet by which he continues to be remembered and revered. Sardar Patel went on to become one of the foremost pillars of the national struggle for freedom.
In 1931, he was elected President of the Indian Nation Congress at its Karachi Session. At a time when the nation was in tumult over the execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, he made a sombre speech that reflected the sentiment of the hour.
With the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947, the long-cherished dream of freedomwas finally at the doorstep. However, massive obstacles lay ahead. At the time of Independence, India consisted of British India and the Princely States. There were 17 British Indian provinces, and the Princely States- comprising about two fifths of the geographic territory of the country- numbered more than 560. While the Indian Independence Act ceded control of British India to the Indian Government, rulers of the Princely States were given the option to decide whether they wanted to accede to India or Pakistan or neither.
Sardar Patel stepped in to ensure the accession of the princely states and integrate them into the Union of India. On 25 June 1947, the States Department was formed under Sardar Patel. VP Menon was appointed its Secretary. These two individuals made a formidable team whose tact and diplomacy made it possible to overcome apparently insurmountable hurdles.
On 15 August 1947, Sardar Patel took oath as the first Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the first Home Minister of independent India. He also took charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Sardar Patel’s life and career is a lesson in grit, sagacity and decisive leadership. He earned thethe reputation of ‘Iron Man’ because of the manner in which he brought about and maintained internal stability as Home Minister in the wake of the partition of the country.
On 15 December 1950, the Iron Man of India breathed his last. He had successfully accomplished the task of integrating 565 Princely States into the Union of India within a remarkably short span of time- a feat unprecedented in history.