Sardar Patel shaped India’s administrative foundation: Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel dedicated his entire life to safeguarding India’s unity and integrity, and played a pivotal role in building the country’s administrative framework and strengthening national unity. 

Tripura Chief Minister, while addressing the Sardar@150 Unity March National Padyatra flagging-off ceremony at Shastri Maidan in Gujarat, said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the architect of India’s unity and continues to remind the nation of the importance of unity in safeguarding India’s sovereignty and integrity. 

An official of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Agartala said that Saha, along with his Gujarat counterpart Bhupendra Patel, visited the house of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and paid floral tribute to his portrait. 

Saha said that “Today, we are not just participating in a padyatra, but are paying homage to the noble ideals of unity, courage, and nation-building.” 

‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’, celebrated every year on October 31st on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of India’s unity, reminds us of the importance of unity in safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of the nation, he said. 

Tripura CM said that this year, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is especially significant as it marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. 

“This National Padyatra is being organised as part of the My Bharat, Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry’s Sardar@150 Unity March celebrations honouring the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” said Saha. 

He said that its main objective is to remember the contribution of Sardar Patel, the architect of India’s unity, and to inculcate the spirit of unity, patriotism, and responsibility among the youth of the country. 

Noting that the basic spirit of this initiative is Ek Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Tripura CM said that to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, various programmes have been organised in different fields in the Tripura state as well. 

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, played a vital role in establishing the unity of the country after independence. 

“Sardar Patel dreamed of a united and strong India. He firmly believed that India’s strength lies in its diversity. We all know that during India’s independence, especially between 1947 and 1949, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated approximately 560 princely states into India. Patel is a champion of the unity and integrity of the nation. He dedicated his entire life to safeguarding India’s unity and integrity and played a very important role in building the administrative structure of the country,” he said. 

Saha added that since 2014, in honour of Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been celebrating Rashtriya Ekta Diwas across the country. 

“In honour of Sardar Patel, the government of India is celebrating the Sardar@150 Unity March this year in Gujarat, intending to make the country stronger, build a prosperous India, and inspire everyone to be patriotic. The Sardar@150 Unity March is being organised in various phases across the country. District-level padyatras have been organised from October 31 to November 25, and they have been celebrated with great enthusiasm in Tripura as well,” Tripura CM stated.