New Delhi, Nov 22: BJP president J.P. Nadda on Saturday praised Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s pivotal role in uniting India and alleged that the Congress leadership deliberately denied the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister the honour he “rightfully deserved” for nearly four decades after Independence.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi after flagging off the ‘@150 Unity March’ to mark Patel’s birth anniversary, Nadda asserted that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who finally placed Patel in his “correct and rightful place” in the nation’s history.
Highlighting Patel’s achievement in integrating 562 princely states, Nadda said, “The British wanted India to remain weak and divided. Sardar Patel united the country within two years, turning a fragmented land into ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.”
He accused Congress governments between 1950 and 1991 of intentionally sidelining Patel.
“For four decades, the Congress ruled the country, yet no prime minister considered awarding the Bharat Ratna to Sardar Patel. Conspiracies were hatched to ensure he did not receive the respect he deserved,” Nadda claimed.
The BJP chief said Prime Minister Modi has “truly honoured” Patel through initiatives such as the construction of the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, the world’s tallest statue.