Ahmedabad: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the iron man, was a political and social leader. He played an important role in the country’s freedom struggle and lead the integration and unification of independent India. He was known in India and throughout the world as ‘Sardar’. He is also known as ‘Iron Man’ because of his strong will power. ETV Bharat presents a special report about this lion’s share in India’s republic.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had taken a plunge into politics at the insistence of his friends. In 1917, Sardar was elected as an officer of the sanitation department of Ahmedabad city. Thereafter, he had lost the election in May by one vote only to win the election the next time, also by one vote. He then joined the Indian National Congress and led revolts and political events. He organised the party during 1934 and 1937 elections and took a prominent part in the Quit India movement that paved the way to India’s Independence.
Sardar’s campaign for political unification of India:
Sardar had given the opportunity to over 600 princely states to join and accept the Republic of India. Indian nationalists and the common citizens had a fear that if the princely states did not merge with the newly formed republic, India would be fragmented into many pieces. Top British officials and the Congress believed that only Sardar can achieve the task of integrating the princely states into India. Sardar began negotiating with the rulers of the princely states from May 6, 1947. He persuaded the rulers of the princely states to agree to have talks and thus could take preventive measures to prevent any possible conflict.
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Sardar organized meetings and involved most of the rulers in the negotiations. He had then said that there are no fundamental differences between the Congress and the rulers of the princely states and yet he emphasised that the princely states would have to merge with India on August 15, 1947. He made the rulers of 565 princely states that it was impossible for them to remain independent of India against the wishes of the people. All but rulers of three princely states agreed to merge their states with India. Only the rulers of Jammu and Kashmir, Junagadh and Hyderabad did not accept Sardar’s condition.
In the election for the post of Congress president in 1946, Sardar had withdrawn his candidature in favour of Nehru. The newly elected president of the Congress was to head the government of Independent India. When Gandhiji had asked Congress representatives of 16 states to elect a suitable candidate, as many as 13 of them had suggested Sardar’s name. Yet, honouring Gandhiji’s wish, Sardar gave up the opportunity of becoming the first Prime Minister of India and as the Home Minister, he integrated and unified India under the central administration. Only the integration of Jammu and Kashmir could not be done because of Nehru. After Nehru was elected the Congress president, Sardar started guiding the Congress for the general election to India’s Constituent Assembly.
Sardar started Operation Polo to remove the Nizam of Hyderabad. Operation Polo of 1948 was a secret operation. By the operation, Nizam Usman Ali Khan was insulted and dethroned and the Hyderabad state was integrated into India. Thus, Sardar Patel played a big role in making India independent. He had also done great work for the farmers following which he was addressed by the title of ‘Sardar’. Sardar had worked hard for the freedom and unification of India.
