Excelsior Correspondent
CHENNAI, Oct 31: Even as the rest of the country today observed National Unity Day commemorating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a unique display of patriotic enthusiasm stood out distinctly in this South Indian metros when an unusually large crowd of people thronged the statue of Sardar Patel to rededicate themselves to the ideals of uncompromising national integration symbolized by him.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in true sense, reaffirmed India’s “Unity in Diversity” because soon after independence, it was he who single-handedly undertook the most difficult task of bringing together over 565 princely States of Indian peninsula under the umbrella of single Indian Union which became the foundation of the Indian Republic after independence.
Soon after independence, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the country was still recovering from the wounds of partition and at the same time it was confronted with the challenge of organising into one single unit, different parts of the country which lay divided in different domains either constituting the erstwhile British India or the erstwhile princely states. It, therefore, required an extraordinary vision and strategic astuteness to meet these twin challenges and Sardar Patel rose to the occasion making a contribution which will go down in the history of independent India for all times to come, he added.
Jammu & Kashmir was the only State, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled, with which the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to deal personally and Patel was kept out of loop. The consequences of this Nehruvian blunder are there for everybody to see and the whole nation is still paying for it, he said. Describing Sardar Patel as one of the most underrated icons of independent India, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the erstwhile regimes in New Delhi had been obsessed in eulogising and glorifying only the members belonging to a particular family or household, which resulted in this miscarriage of history. The credit goes to the present government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has redeemed these lapses to restore back the national icons to stature and honour deserved by them, he added.
The justice which the erstwhile Congress regimes could not do to one of their greatest Congressmen Sardar Patel, has been delivered by the BJP government, said Dr Jitendra Singh and added that this itself is a testimony to objective and impartial approach of the Modi Government without any extraneous considerations.
BJP State President of Tamil Nadu Dr. Tamilisai Sounderrajan presided over the function which was attended by several senior leaders and prominent citizens from Tamil Nadu.
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