Narendra Modi, right after taking over as Prime Minister of India in May 2014, came up with a political argument about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who served as the first Union Home Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru-led Congress government, criticizing the country's oldest political party that it failed to ensure due recognition and respect to one of the most tremendous leaders of the nation.
Modi, in fact, set off a political debate in India soon after he started praising Patel, also known as the Iron Man of India, and the Congress reacted in an expected manner, claiming that the leader belonged to them and not to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Congress’ claim on Patel is the case of political inherence, whereas Modi has made a political argument (about the leader) in the court of people,” political commentator Manisha Priyum told Sputnik India.
She said there’s nothing wrong in different political parties claiming the legacy of Patel – the leader who would always be respected for his crucial role in India’s post-independence unification.
“Political parties claim whatever they have to but let people make their choice,” Priyum said, adding that people are empowered enough to understand issues like this.
The incumbent Indian Prime Minister also declared 31 October - the birth anniversary of Patel as the 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (the national unity day).
“On the Jayanti of Sardar Patel, we remember his indomitable spirit, visionary statesmanship and the extraordinary dedication with which he shaped the destiny of our nation. His commitment to national integration continues to guide us. We are forever indebted to his service,” Modi's post on X on the occasion of Patel’s birth anniversary today.
Modi also launched the ambitious project of building a 182-metre-high statue of Patel at the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat. It’s known as the Statue of Unity, and it’s the tallest structure of its kind.
Patel, who born in the Indian state of Gujarat in 1875, was a lawyer by profession and emerged as a leading Congress leader and associate of Mahatma Gandhi during the independence struggle.
As the first Union Home Minister of the then newly independent India, he is credited with uniting hundreds of princely states into the Union with his mix of persuasion and firmness.