Historical records highlight two deadly attempts on Sardar Patel’s life

On the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on Tuesday, the BJP flagged two deadly attempts on his life and asked why the Congress governments stayed silent on the issue for 86 years.The BJP raised the issue after historian Rizwan Kadri made a statement about the new documentary panel at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Kevadia, which documents two fatal attacks on the life of India’s first Home Minister.

Kadri, who is writing a book on the subject, said, “A significant revelation regarding Sardar Patel is now on display at the Statue of Unity. The new documentary panel lifts the curtain on the two deadly attacks on him and a conspiracy that remained concealed for 86 years.”

Kadri said the panel exposes the “political conspiracy” -- alleged orchestrated by indigenous princely states and the Muslim League -- behind attempts on Patel’s life.

“It offers previously unknown insights into the turbulent political landscape of the Indian Independence era. More details will be published in my documentary book in the coming days,” he added.

Taking off from Kadri’s comments, BJP’s Amit Malviya asked the Congress why it had buried the truth of these attacks for over eight decades until historian Rizwan Kadri exposed it.

“Just because the truth is uncomfortable, the Congress conveniently buried it,” said the BJP leader.

Historical records displayed at the Patel Memorial reveal that in 1939, the Muslim League orchestrated two attacks on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was uniting the princely states through the Prajamandal Movement.

“The Muslim League, emboldened by appeasement politics, began inciting violence in the name of religion. Meanwhile, the Congress chose silence over confrontation,” Malviya said, citing records.

The first attempt on Sardar Patel's life was made at Vadodara on January 20, 1939.

“As Sardar Patel’s procession passed through Mandvi, Muslim League-backed goons shouted “Sardar Go Back!” and pelted stones at his car. The Prajamandal office was set ablaze — a state-sponsored attempt to silence Patel’s rising influence. But the Congress remained muted. The next day, Sardar urged for peace and restraint. But the Vadodara regime staged a fake inquiry and shut the case. This was just the beginning. The Muslim League’s goon squads were already planning something deadlier in Bhavnagar," Malviya said, posting records on X.

In Bhavnagar, on May 14, 1939, as Sardar Patel arrived to lead the fifth Praja Parishad, a mob affiliated with the Muslim League, allegedly supported by the local princely establishment, attacked his peaceful procession from the Nagina Masjid.

“It was a pre-planned conspiracy. Patriots Bachu Virji and Jadavji Modi ere martyred protecting Sardar, while dozens were injured. Yet, Patel addressed the gathering that evening with a calm resolve and paid tributes to the fallen. Even after such violence, he never abandoned the path of unity,” said the BJP.

Malviya said a special court convicted 34 of 57 accused and two were given death sentences. But after Independence, Congress historians erased the case from textbooks and archives.

“No one dared to mention the Muslim League’s role or Congress’s cowardly silence,” the BJP IT cell chief said.

He also revealed the official handwritten Sessions Court record with the (Bhavnagar) Stamp, with the list of 13 principal accused, including Nanabhai Dhanjibhai.

This, Malviya said, was the primary judicial evidence directly linking Muslim League–affiliated individuals to the conspiracy.

“This is the real history of 1939, when the Iron Man stood firm, while political opportunists appeased divisive forces. The attack on Patel was not just an assault on a man — it was an assault on India’s unity. For 86 years, this truth was buried to protect political convenience. It took historian Rizwan Kadri to bring it to light — a reminder that even during the freedom struggle, Sardar Patel fought not just the British, but internal betrayal too,” the BJP said, urging citizens to remember the real Iron Man who faced stones, knives and conspiracies, but never compromised on Bharat’s unity.

“History must record the truth, not Congress’s edited version,” the BJP leader said.