The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today urged political parties not to make statements on Jammu and Kashmir that would affect the unity of the country and give advantage to India’s neighbor, which is aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism.

Speaking at a function organized by Pragna Bharati on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to commemorate Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary at MCR HRD institute in Hyderabad today, the Vice President asserted that dilution of Article 370 was meant to empower the people of Jammu and Kashmir and extend all the laws.

Observing that the dilution of Article 370 was a simple administrative arrangement, he said the people across the country rejoiced as they felt that real unity was achieved.

Describing Sardar as Unifier of India, he quoted Sardar Patel as saying that ‘unity and more unity’ was his watchword. He observed that there was a need for unity and more unity in the country now.

Shri Naidu said that every Indian must strive to protect the unity, integrity, safety, security, and sovereignty of India. He said that it was the best and only way to honour legendary leader and visionary statesman, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who left an indelible mark on the historical canvas of our country.

The Vice President stressed the need to make youngsters aware of the humongous efforts and sacrifices made by leaders like Sardar Patel to unify India.

He suggested incorporating a detailed chapter in school textbooks on the stupendous contribution of Sardar Patel for the creation of a united India.

Observing that Sardar Patel not only brought about geographical unity but also cared deeply about social, religious and cultural unity of the Country, the Vice President said “Shri Patel took upon himself the mission of uniting India and succeeded through his tact, patience, calm and dignified persuasion”.

Describing Sardar Patel as the chief architect of India’s steel frame—the civil services, the Vice President said that he envisaged the all India services as an important cementing force in promoting the unity and integrity of the nation.

Referring to former Deputy Prime Minister’s qualities of leadership and steely determination, the Vice President said that Shri Patel’s contribution to unify India would forever remain as one of the greatest accomplishments in the annals of world history.

Talking about Sardar Patel’s deft handling of complex situations including in the erstwhile Hyderabad State ruled by the then Nizam, the Vice President said that Shri Patel achieved the mission impossible through his extraordinary firmness and statesmanship.   

He pointed out that various princely States had accepted his appeal to join the Indian Union because he emphasized the fundamental homogeneity of culture and sentiment among the people and requested them to join India “inspired by a common allegiance to our motherland for the common good of us all”.

Talking about the clarion call given by Sardar Patel many years ago to collectively build a new India, the Vice President called upon people to make a strong resolve to build a stronger, united, forward-looking India in which each citizen feels secure and confident to lead a fulfilling and happy life.

Stating that inclusion and welfare of all must be at the heart of the concept of unity, the Vice President said that Shri Patel wanted Indian states to cooperate and work towards taking India to new greatness.

“Incidentally, this echoes the current government’s overarching idea of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Vishwas,” he said.

Following is the full text of the speech –

“The first President of India Shri Rajendra Prasad ji wrote in his dairy in 1959 – “That there is today an India to think and talk about is very largely due to Sardar Patel’s statesmanship and firm administration. Yet we are apt to ignore him.”

It is this colossus of Independence movement we are remembering today.  It is a day when we are paying homage to the most astute political administrator and in many ways, one of the chief architects of our nation.

Quite appropriately, we are marking this day as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas because Sardar Patel had once said that his watchword was “unity and more unity”. He took upon himself the mission of uniting India and succeeded through his tact, patience and calm, dignified persuasion.

Popularly known as the ‘Iron Man of India’, Shri Patel was the architect of integrating more than 560 princely States into the Union of India at the time of Independence. Displaying the highest qualities of statesmanship and steely determination Shri Patel went about the task of unifying India, which will remain as one of the greatest accomplishments in the annals of world history.

Mountbatten had paid rich tributes to Sardar Patel when he said, “There is no doubt that by far the most important achievement of the present Government is the unification of the State into the Domain of India. Had you failed in this, the results would have been disastrous. But since you have succeeded, no one can see the disastrous results that have been avoided.” Thanks to Sardar Patel, we are reunited as one nation.

Thanks to his deft handling of a complex situation, the people in this very place in the erstwhile Hyderabad State ruled by the then Nizam were liberated from his despotic reign and joined the rest of India on September 17, 1948.

He achieved the mission impossible through his extraordinary firmness and statesmanship.  The Princes accepted his appeal to join the Indian Union because he emphasized the fundamental homogeneity of culture and sentiment among the people and requested them to join India “inspired by common allegiance to our motherland for the common good of us all”.

His persona was aptly summed up by his biographer Narhari Parikh, who had said: “Harder than steel in national matters, but softer than a flower in personal and private relations”.            

Lavishing praise on Shri Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru described him as the architect of Indian unity. “Sardar hammered out a nation with iron and foil. History will record it in many pages and call him the builder and consolidator of the new India and say many other things about him”.

One of his great qualities was that he never allowed the bitterness of the past to affect his relations or cloud his emotions. His courteous treatment of the Nizam after ‘Operation Polo’ made the latter to say:  “Your great personality is a valuable asset for India at this critical period when the whole world is in turmoil”.

Patel was a multifaceted personality. He was a dynamic political leader, an organizer par excellence, a competent administrator and a skillful negotiator. Apart from his earthy disposition, he also had saintly qualities in the sense that he never hankered after power.

Patel’s graciousness and magnanimity came to the fore when he had readily abided by Mahatma Gandhi’s advice to withdraw his candidacy for the post of Congress President in favour of Pandit Nehru in 1946, although a majority of State Congress committees supported his candidature.

Sardar Patel was the chief architect of India’s steel frame—the civil services. He envisaged the all India services as an important cementing force in promoting the unity and integrity of the nation. 

In his famous address to the civil service probationers in 1947, Patel had told them to be guided by a real spirit of service in their day-to-day administration. He asked them to treat the common man as their own.

Lauding the selfless devotion of Sardar Patel to the cause of the motherland, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had observed: “He made his choice out of the two courses that come before a man, namely, would he live for his country or for himself. Sardar chose his country”.

After coming under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel abandoned his European attire, plunged into freedom struggle, organized peasants against the highhandedness of the British rulers at Kheda and in the landmark Bardoli satyagraha.

It is important for today’s youngsters to be aware and understand the humongous efforts and sacrifices made by leaders like Sardar Patel to unify India. I feel that there should be a detailed chapter in school textbooks on the stupendous contribution of Sardar Patel to the creation of a united India.

Dear sisters and brothers,

As we observe Rashtriya Ekta  Diwas today to commemorate Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary, every Indian must strive to protect the unity, integrity, safety, security and sovereignty of India. This is the best and only way to honour this great leader, an iconic figure, a legendary leader, a visionary statesman who has left an indelible mark on the historical canvas of our country. He is among the tallest of our leaders who not only brought about geographical unity but also cared deeply about social, religious and cultural unity.

He knew that India was under foreign rule because of lack of unity.  As he said, “It is the lesson of history that it was owing to the country’s politically fragmented condition and our inability to take a united stand that India succumbed to successive waves of invaders. Our mutual conflicts and internecine quarrels and jealousies have in the past been the cause of our downfall and our falling victims to foreign domination a number of times. We cannot afford to fall into those errors or traps again.”

He wanted post-independence India to be united and stay united without any narrow considerations and divisions on the basis of caste, creed, religion or language.  For him, “What we have is not swaraj but only freedom from foreign rule.  The people have still to win internal swaraj, abolish distinctions of caste and creed, banish untouchability, improve the lot of hungry masses, and live as one joint family – in short to create a new way of life and bring about a change of heart and a change of outlook.”

As the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities etc., he succeeded in allaying the apprehensions of the minorities, “We have tried to overcome our weaknesses honestly and in a definite manner. The proof, if any proof is needed, is Hindu- Muslim unity…  I can proudly claim that our relationship is not merely of friendship but of fruitful cooperation so that we can take the nation forward. Similarly, we have established cordial relations with Parsis, Christians and other citizens of the country.”

Sardar Patel was a great visionary who left his distinct impact on our Constitution whether it is regarding fundamental rights or Directive Principles or Union-State relations or All India Services. As the noted Constitutional expert Shri Subhash C. Kashyap points out, his farsighted vision is evident from the reference to “governance” in Article 37 of the Constitution  much before the country started discussing “governance” or “good governance”.

Sardar Patel put forth his views with great clarity borne out of strong conviction.  He seems at times to be a social reformer as well. He wanted the social evils like untouchability to go.  He urged that, “We have to speedily forget all these things. Such boundaries hamper our growth.” His focus was on ‘living’ the ‘values of Indian tradition’. As he reminded us once, “We always speak of India’s culture, of India’s civilization, but do we ever pause to think that the relief of the poor, mutual aid amongst neighbours, charity to the helpless and kindness to the downtrodden have been the shining virtues of that culture and civilization? Let us ask ourselves if we are living in the spirit of those ancient virtues!”

This extraordinary icon of unity, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also an ardent champion of probity in public services and integrity in public life.

Talking of cleanliness to which he, like Mahatma Gandhi, was passionately attached, he reflected on his experience as Chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and with a great sense of profound humour said, “To cleanse the dirt of the city is quite different from cleansing the dirt of politics.  From the former you get a good night’s rest while the latter keeps you worried and lose your sleep.”

He was quite a stickler for perfection and demanded dedication to the nation as an essential pre-requisite for public service. He suggested that, “Those who lack the spirit of sacrifice and those who do not prefer the collective interest of the people of India to their own personal interest have no right to adorn the assemblies either.  If we cannot show a high order of sense of sacrifice we cannot do justice either to India or to its people who vote for us.”

For the iron man with a golden heart, India’s unity, integrity, sovereignty and security were paramount.  Everything else was secondary. 

It is good to recall his speech at Nagpur on November 4th 1948, in which he called upon people to realize their true duty to nation amidst dangers to her security, in these words: “We are India’s guardians and as long as we live, we are not going to tolerate all these dangers to our national existence.”

सरदार वल्लभभाई पटेल के जीवन और कृतित्व का मात्र एक ही सार है - एकता। उनका जीवनदर्शन इस देश के नागरिकों के कल्याण के प्रति अगाध निष्ठा से प्रेरित था, तुच्छ भेदभाव को समाप्त कर, पुरातन पंथी सामाजिक रूढ़ियों से ऊपर उठ कर, एक राष्ट्र के रूप में उन्नति के लिए समर्पित था। आज सत्तर वर्ष बाद भी उनके शब्द कितने सच्चे प्रतीत होते हैं, जब उन्होंने कहा -

“We are at a momentous stage in the history of India. By common endeavour we can raise the country to new greatness while lack of unity will expose us to face calamities. I hope the Indian States will bear in mind that the alternative to co-operation in the general interest is anarchy and chaos, which will overwhelm great and small in a common ruin, if we are unable to act together in the minimum of common tasks.”

If there were to be a succinct definition of patriotism, here it was.

Incidentally, this echoes the current government’s overarching ideal of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas”.

Inclusion and welfare of all is at the heart of this concept of unity.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy is timeless.  His words and deeds are eternal fountains of inexhaustible motivation. They can propel India to greater heights of all round development. If we ignore him, we do so to our own disadvantage. It would be unwise to heed his wise counsel.

In conclusion, I can do no better than quote Sardar Patel himself who gave our country a clarion call many years ago but one which resonates in our hearts as we try to collectively build a new India:

“Let not the future generations curse us for having had the opportunity but failed to turn it to our mutual advantage.  Instead, let it be our proud privilege to leave a legacy of a mutually beneficial relationship which would raise this sacred land to its proper place amongst the nations of the world and turn it into an abode of peace and prosperity.”

Let national unity be the ‘dhruva tara’ or Pole Star guiding us through turbulent waters of contemporary times. 

Let us have the resolve to build a stronger, united, forward-looking India in which each citizen feels secured and confident to lead a fulfilling and happy life.

We have to carry on the rich legacy of thoughts and action that Sardar Patel has bequeathed to us. We must preserve it through our actions and attitudes.

Jai Hind!”

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RRK/MS/MSY/RK