Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a famous freedom fighter and the first Home Minister of independent India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who unified 562 princely states, is still known as Iron Man.
The Iron Man was born on October 31, 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat, and Patel passed away on this day in Mumbai on December 15, 1950.
some interesting facts related to Sardar Patel
Let us know on this occasion some interesting facts related to sardar patel-
- Iron Man Sardar Patel was an Indian barrister and famous statesman. Inspired by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, he participated in the freedom movement in India. He came in direct contact with Gandhiji for the first time in November 1917.
- In 1918, he managed famine relief in the Ahmedabad district in a very systematic manner and successfully led the “No-Tax” movement against the land revenue being collected in the famine-affected Kheda district by the government and forgave the recovery.
- In 1919, the Gujarat Sabha was converted into the Congress Committee of the Gujarat province, whose secretary was Patel and Mahatma Gandhi as its president.
- After this, in 1921, he became the chairman of the reception committee of the 36th Ahmedabad session of the Indian National Congress and became the first president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.
- Sardar Patel was arrested on March 7, 1930, and put in Sabarmati Jail for campaigning in favor of Gandhiji’s Salt Satyagraha.
- During World War II, when the Japanese attack was feared, Sardar Patel dismissed Gandhi’s policy of non-violence as impractical.
- Even on the issue of transfer of power, he differed with Gandhi on the fact that the division of the subcontinent into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan was inevitable.
Honours and awards of Sardar Patel
- In 1991, Sardar Patel was posthumously awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna‘.
- In the year 2014, the birth anniversary (31 October) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is celebrated as ‘National Unity Day‘.
- Ahmedabad’s airport has been named ‘Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport’, and ‘Sardar Patel University’ in Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat.
- The Statue of Unity – 182 m (597 ft) high is a monument to Sardar Patel, the Iron Man of India and the first Home Minister, proposed by the Government of Gujarat. The Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone of this memorial on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s birthday on 31 October 2013.
- Sardar Patel had great affection for Mahatma Gandhi. This can be gauged from the fact that when Patel’s health started deteriorating after hearing the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Even after two months after Gandhiji’s death, he had a heart attack and after two years there was a single death.
- The first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India merged 600 princely states into the Indian Union with his strong willpower and leadership skills. It was not easy to merge these small princely states.
- Respecting Gandhiji’s wish, Sardar Patel distanced himself from the race for the post of Prime Minister, and Pt. Nehru supported.
- Sardar Patel’s first priority as Home Minister was to integrate the princely states (states) into India.
- Sardar Patel had launched Operation Polo for the annexation of Hyderabad.
- Earlier the Nizam of Hyderabad had refused to merge with India.
- Pandit Nehru was not in the country at the time when the merger of Hyderabad was done.
- Sardar had written to Pandit Nehru in November 1950, warning about the potential threat of China to India’s north.
