New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday paid its tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary and alleged continuous efforts are being made to "appropriate" his legacy by those whose "ideological gurus" opposed the Quit India Movement and criticised the Constitution.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "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." "Sardar Patel's personality and thoughts will always inspire the coming generations to serve the nation," he said on X.
एक स्वतंत्र भारत को सम्पूर्ण देश बनाने वाले भारत के लौह पुरुष, देश के प्रथम उप प्रधानमंत्री, पूर्व कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष व हमारे आदर्श, सरदार वल्लभ भाई पटेल जी की जयंती पर सादर श्रद्धांजलि।
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) October 31, 2024
सरदार पटेल जी का व्यक्तित्व और विचार सदैव आने वाली पीढ़ियों को राष्ट्रसेवा के लिए प्रेरित… pic.twitter.com/PyDLDEzILv
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi remembered Patel as the leader who tied the country together in a thread of 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.
देश को एकता और अखंडता के सूत्र में बांधने वाले 'लौह पुरुष' सरदार वल्लभ भाई पटेल जी की जयंती पर उन्हें सादर नमन।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 31, 2024
भारत जोड़ने और देश में प्रेम एवं भाईचारा स्थापित करने वाले उनके पदचिह्न सदैव हमारा मार्गदर्शन करतें हैं। pic.twitter.com/Ux1Hyg0Ils
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera took a jibe at the RSS while paying his tributes. "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," Khera said on X.
सरदार पटेल ने संघियों को लगाम में रखा तो आज तमाम संघी भी इस आजीवन कांग्रेसी के आगे नतमस्तक होने पर मजबूर हो गए।
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) October 31, 2024
कुछ साल पहले यही संघी सरदार साहब के विरुद्ध पुस्तकें छापते और बांटते थे।
सरदार वल्लभ भाई पटेल की जयंती पर उन्हें प्रणाम pic.twitter.com/f3LG6p9Yan
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh hailed him as a pivotal figure in the freedom movement and shaping the creation of post-1947 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 said in a post on X.
"This only exposes the insecurities and hypocrisy of the (mis)appropriators," he added.
Today is the 149th birth anniversary of the indomitable Sardar, who was a hugely pivotal figure in our freedom movement and thereafter shaped the creation of post-1947 India while guiding it through the most turbulent years of 1948, 1949, and 1950.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 31, 2024
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is… pic.twitter.com/6DJzEa2i9i
Ramesh said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated a bronze bust of Patel in Godhra on February 13, 1949. An inscription below the bust also bears out this fact, he said. The bust had been installed by local Congressmen in Godhra, because this is where the Sardar had started his legal practice, he said.
"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 that 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," Ramesh said.
"This is among the very few, if not the only, busts of Sardar Patel erected when he was alive," he said. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X gave her tributes to "one of the architects of modern India."
"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," she said.
The Congress, on its official X handle, said Patel will always continue to inspire the people of the country. Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India's struggle for Independence. Renowned for his exceptional leadership and unyielding commitment to national integration, he is fondly remembered as the "Iron Man of India." He died in 1950.
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