New Delhi: Bhupendra Manubhai Patel, a relative of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, has recalled his interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s programme in Gujarat, highlighting how the Prime Minister remembered his family and personally arranged a meeting with them during his visit.
In a post on social media platform X, Modi Story shared Bhupendra Manubhai Patel’s account of the interaction, in which he expressed surprise and gratitude over Prime Minister Modi remembering his family and making time to meet them.
“We never thought even in our dreams that PM Narendra Modi would remember us. But we invited everyone and took care of a few people,” Bhupendra Manubhai Patel said while recalling the interaction.
He also praised Prime Minister Modi for recognising and appreciating Sardar Patel’s contribution to the nation, despite the fact that the latter did not belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its political ideology.
“No one would have respected Sardar Patel as much as Narendra Bhai has. Sardar Patel was not even from his (PM Modi) party; he was from the opposite party. Still, Narendra Bhai must have been impressed after seeing the work of Sardar Patel. PM Modi is also a visionary like Sardar Patel,” he added.
Bhupendra Manubhai Patel also shared an anecdote from Sardar Patel’s time in Delhi, recalling an incident involving one of his lifelong friends who had participated in the Bardoli Satyagraha.
He said that when the friend visited Delhi, Sardar Patel warmly welcomed him to his residence and personally took him around the national capital for two days.
However, when the time came for the friend to return, Sardar Patel insisted that a private taxi be hired for his departure.
The decision surprised his daughter, Maniben, who questioned why they could not use their own vehicle instead.
“Patel’s answer was, the ‘car belonged to the government and not a single rupee of public money would ever be spent on personal matters’,” he said.
The anecdote, as recalled by Bhupendra Manubhai Patel, highlighted Sardar Patel’s strict adherence to public accountability and his commitment to ensuring that government resources were never used for personal convenience.
Drawing a parallel between Sardar Patel’s principles and Prime Minister Modi’s approach to public life, he said that the Prime Minister continued to uphold similar standards of integrity and dedication towards the country.
“Decades later, PM Narendra Modi carries forward that same standard of uncompromising public integrity. From taking care of the smallest detail for karyakartas to honouring the ‘Iron Man of India’ through the monumental Statue of Unity, PM Modi doesn’t just celebrate Sardar Patel’s legacy; he lives his ideals of foresight, discipline, and absolute dedication to the nation,” the Modi Story added.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, is widely remembered for his decisive leadership in bringing hundreds of princely states into the Indian Union following Independence. His efforts earned him the title of the ‘Iron Man of India’.
India observes October 31 every year as National Unity Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, who played a pivotal role in integrating princely states into the Indian Union after Independence.
–IANS–
