New Delhi: On the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has flagged two deadly attacks on the Iron Man of India in 1939 and hit out at the Congress for keeping the truth under wraps for 86 long years.
The revelations about the fatal attack on Sardar Patel came out after historian Rizwan Kadri spoke about ‘unveiling hidden history’ on Friday and spotlighted a documentary panel shedding light on twin deadly attempts on Sarda Patel’s life, which remained concealed for decades.
Rizwan Kadri, who is penning a documentary on the subject, said, “A significant historical revelation regarding Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is now on display at the Statue of Unity. A new documentary panel lifts the curtain on the two deadly attacks on him, revealing a conspiracy that remained concealed for 86 years.”
“The documentary panel exposes the alleged political conspiracy, orchestrated by indigenous princely states and the Muslim League behind attempts on Sardar Patel’s life,” he added.
The BJP, quick to lap on the revelations, trained guns on the Congress party, asking why it kept the fact hidden for 86 years.
Blaming the Muslim League, the BJP said that the outfit orchestrated two deadly attacks on Sardar Patel – first in Vadodara (January) and second in Bhavnagar (May 1939) but the then Congress governments buried the truth for their own convenience.
Further assailing the then governments to cover up the conspiracy to kill Sardar Patel, the BJP said the real ‘Lauh Purush’ stood strong and committed to Bharat’s unity, unfazed by attempts on his life and conspiracies.
“History must record the truth, not Congress’s edited version,” said the BJP in a post on X. The series of posts by the party unravels the conspiracy against Iron Man.
The deadly attacks on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel took place in 1939, when the nation was witnessing a turning point in its freedom struggle. This was the time when Sardar Patel was uniting the princely states through his Prajamandal movement. The Muslim League resorted to violence in the name of religion, leading to deadly attacks on him and his supporters, while Congress chose to stay mum and went on to ‘erase’ the conspiracy in the post-Independence era.
The first deadly attempt took place on January 20, 1939, when his procession was passing through Mandvi (Vadodara).
“Muslim League-backed goons shouted ‘Sardar Go Back!’ and pelted stones at his car. The Prajamandal office was set ablaze — a state-sponsored attempt to silence Patel’s rising influence. Congress? Muted,” the BJP said.
The next attack took place in Bhavnagar on May 14, 1939, when Patel arrived to lead the Fifth Praja Parishad. A mob affiliated with the Muslim League, allegedly supported by the local princely establishment, attacked his peaceful procession from a local Nagina Masjid.
“It was a pre-planned conspiracy. Patriots Bachu Virji and Jadavji Modi were martyred protecting Sardar. Dozens were injured in the violent attack. Despite that, Patel addressed the gathering that evening with calm resolve and tribute to the fallen. Even after such violence, he never abandoned the path of unity,” the BJP informed in another post.
The series of threads says that two accused were given death sentences for murderous attempt on Patel’s life, but what was more disappointing is that the ‘Congress historians’ erased the case from textbooks and archives.
“This is the real history of 1939 — where the Iron Man stood firm while political opportunists appeased divisive forces. No one dared to mention the Muslim League’s role or Congress’s cowardly silence,” the BJP pointed out.
(IANS)
