Continuous efforts being made to 'appropriate' Sardar Patel's legacy: Congress

LoP in the Lok Sabha and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi remembered Patel as a leader who unified the country through unity and integrity.
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NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, while alleging that continuous efforts are being made to "appropriate" Patel’s legacy by those whose "ideological gurus" opposed the Quit India Movement and criticised the Constitution.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated, "Respectful tributes to the Iron Man of India, the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country, former Congress President and our idol, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who made an independent India a complete country, on his birth anniversary." He added, "Sardar Patel's personality and thoughts will always inspire future generations to serve the nation," in a post on X.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi remembered Patel as a leader who unified the country through unity and integrity. "His footprints that united India and established love and brotherhood in the country always guide us," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

Taking a jibe at the RSS, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera paid his tributes to Patel, saying, "Sardar Patel kept the Sanghis under control, so today all the Sanghis are also forced to bow before this lifelong Congressman. A few years ago, these same Sanghis used to print and distribute books against Sardar Saheb," he remarked on X.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, hailed Patel as a pivotal figure in both the freedom movement and the post-1947 formation of India. "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is an immortal part of the nation’s history. He was also a stalwart Congressman. Continuous efforts are being made to (mis)appropriate his legacy by those whose ideological gurus opposed the Quit India Movement, in which the Sardar was jailed for almost three years, and who criticised the Constitution, a key committee of which was chaired by the Sardar later," Ramesh noted in a post on X. "This only exposes the insecurities and hypocrisy of the (mis)appropriators," he added.

Ramesh further recalled that it was Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated a bronze bust of Patel in Godhra on 13 February 1949. He said the inscription below the bust highlights this fact. The bust had been installed by local Congress members in Godhra, as it was the place where Patel had commenced his legal practice.

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Ramesh noted, "Nehru had come to Godhra after laying the foundation for the educational township Vallabh Vidya Nagar near Anand—named, of course, after Sardar Patel. At Godhra, Nehru spoke of how averse he was to the unveiling of statues, especially for living personalities, but he had made an exception in the case of Sardar Patel because they were the closest of colleagues and because of the Sardar’s unique contributions to the making of Independent India. This is among the very few, if not the only, busts of Sardar Patel erected while he was alive."

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in her tribute on X, called Patel "one of the architects of modern India," saying, "From India's freedom struggle to the creation of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji's contribution is an example of service and dedication towards the country."

The Congress, on its official X handle, added that Patel will always continue to inspire the people of the country.

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a prominent figure in India's struggle for Independence. Renowned for his exceptional leadership and unyielding commitment to national integration, he is remembered as the "Iron Man of India." He passed away in 1950.

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