Vij hails Sardar Patel as man of sacrifices

Cabinet Minister Anil Vij today said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a man of sacrifices, whose philosophy placed the nation first, then the party and himself last. It was this ideology that led Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to give up the opportunity to become India’s first Prime Minister with a smile, he added.

Speaking as the chief guest at the district-level ‘Run for Unity’ programme organised at War Heroes Memorial Stadium, Ambala Cantonment, on Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Vij said, “The united India that we see today exists because of him. After independence, India was divided into about 562 princely states. In the first government, Sardar Patel was made Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, and he successfully integrated all these states into India without the use of force. Only Jammu and Kashmir faced complications, which the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru handled, and we all know what challenges followed after that.”

“Analysts say that if Sardar Patel had become the first Prime Minister instead of Nehru, India’s condition today would have been very different and the country would have achieved much greater heights. But Patel was loyal to the party and accepted its decision. The concept of All India Services like IAS and IPS also came from Patel’s vision to ensure efficient governance. Despite his immense contributions, the Congress did not give him due respect — he was awarded the Bharat Ratna only after 41 years, while many Prime Ministers had already awarded it to themselves,” he added.

Anil Vij said, “In Delhi, there are grand memorials for many leaders, but not even an inch of land was allotted for Sardar Patel’s memorial. It was the BJP government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who built in the statue of Sardar Patel, because our party knows how to show respect.”

The Minister flagged off ‘Run for Unity’ and joined the march carrying the national flag. Earlier, he administered the pledge of national unity to the attendees.