New Delhi,: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s dream of a truly unified India by abrogating Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.
Flagging off the ‘Run for Unity’ at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on the 150th birth anniversary of India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, Shah recalled Patel’s historic role in integrating the nation.
“After independence, the British left India divided into 562 princely states. The world believed it would be impossible to unite them, but Sardar Patel achieved this monumental task in a short time. The map of modern India we see today is a result of his vision and determination,” Shah said.
He added that while some provinces were reluctant to join the Union, Patel resolved every issue with firmness and resolve.
“Due to Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir remained partially separated from the Indian Union. By abrogating it, Prime Minister Modi completed Sardar Patel’s mission of creating an ‘Akhand Bharat’,” Shah stated.
The Home Minister also criticised previous Congress governments for failing to give due recognition to Patel, noting that he received the Bharat Ratna only after 41 years of independence.
“Neither a memorial nor a monument was built in his honour. It was only when Narendra Modi became Gujarat’s Chief Minister that he conceptualised the Statue of Unity, laying its foundation on October 31, 2013,” Shah said.
The 182-metre-tall statue, he added, was completed in 57 months using around 25,000 tonnes of iron collected from farmers’ tools across India. “Built with 90,000 cubic metres of concrete and over 1,700 tonnes of bronze, it has become an iconic site of national pride and a tribute to Sardar Patel,” he said.
Shah noted that the Statue of Unity has already attracted over 2.5 crore visitors from India and abroad, standing as a symbol of India’s engineering excellence.
Earlier in the day, the Home Minister offered floral tributes at Patel Chowk in New Delhi.
In a post on X, Shah paid homage to the “Iron Man of India,” describing Patel as a symbol of “national unity, integrity, and the empowerment of farmers.”
“Sardar Patel strengthened India’s unity by integrating princely states and empowered farmers and the underprivileged through cooperatives. He believed that the country’s progress depended on the prosperity of its farmers,” Shah wrote, adding that every patriot must protect the nation built on Patel’s ideals of justice and unity.
Since 2014, the Modi government has been observing October 31 as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) to reaffirm the nation’s commitment to unity, integrity, and security.
As India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Patel is credited with merging more than 550 princely states into the Indian Union.
Nationwide events are being held to mark his 150th birth anniversary, including a grand parade in front of the Statue of Unity at Kevadia, Gujarat, where Prime Minister Modi will take the salute.
