Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 70th death anniversary on Tuesday.
“The path shown by him will always inspire us to protect the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the country,” he said in a tweet.
Patel, a freedom fighter who became India’s first home minister and deputy prime minister, is credited with unifying hundreds of princely states with the Union of India following independence through a mix of persuasion, dialogue, and even use of force when required.
The Prime Minister has often expressed his deep admiration and respect for him and has been the brain behind the Statue of Unity project in Gujarat.
Born on October 31, 1875, Sardar Patel, who is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India, passed away on December 15, 1950.