Ekta Nagar (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that modern India’s territorial and emotional unity was shaped by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, crediting the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister with bringing together more than 550 princely states after Independence and laying the foundation for a united nation.
Addressing the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ gathering at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district on Patel’s 151st birth anniversary, PM Modi said it was difficult to imagine India in its present form without the contribution of the country’s first Home Minister.
“After Independence, it was Sardar Patel who united more than 550 princely states and bound this nation together with his firm resolve,” he said.
The Prime Minister said Patel’s contribution went beyond the integration of territories. He had understood that India’s diversity was not an obstacle to unity but its actual foundation, and had worked to bring the country together through a shared national identity.
“He did not just unite the geography of the country; he also bound the nation together through emotional unity,” PM Modi said.
He added that Patel was familiar with India’s character and civilisational consciousness and recognised that people across different regions had lived together for thousands of years despite their differences.
PM Modi also linked Patel’s contribution to the reconstruction of the Somnath temple in Gujarat, describing it as the beginning of a wider cultural revival after Independence.
“The completion of 75 years of the temple’s reconstruction is being marked through the ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv’,” he noted.
Referring to the temple’s history, the Prime Minister said its flag continued to fly with pride despite repeated attempts by invaders to destroy it. “The spirit of self-respect associated with Somnath had inspired the observance of the commemorative festival,” he added.
PM Modi also placed the country’s recent national and cultural developments, including the restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the construction of the Ram temple, in the context of the path shown by Patel.
The Prime Minister said, “The country would remain indebted to Patel for his role in securing India’s unity after Partition and guiding its national journey.”
The annual Rashtriya Ekta Diwas observance marks Patel’s birth anniversary and includes a parade and other programmes at Ekta Nagar, where the Statue of Unity stands in his memory.
–IANS–
