The Iron Man: Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel

The Iron Man of India : Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel 

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel (31st October1875-15th December 1950) was an eminent freedom fighter from Nadiad, Gujrat. He was a very intellectual person. He was an Indian Barrister by profession. In 1918, when Mahatma Gandhi called him to join the Satyagraha Movement in Kheda, he immediately joined the movement by quitting his hard-earned job. His devotion towards the work for farmers gives him the title “Sardar”.
 

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He fought against the taboos like untouchability and caste discrimination. He also fought for the rights of women. He always helps others irrespective of their caste, creed, colour and status. He respects others' opinions even if it is against his opinion. For him the Nation always comes first are not only words. These words are the rules of his life. He never put himself first and Nation second. It is proved that in 1946 when India was about to be independent, the position of Congress President became more important as the President of the party will be the first Prime minister.

Nehru was Mahatma Gandhi's first choice and it was very clear to all party members. Despite this fact not a single vote was in favour of Nehru, 12 out of 15 Congress committee voted for Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and remaining 3 didn’t vote for anyone. Now  this episode created troubles for Mahatna Gandhi, as Nehru already made it clear to all that he will not work under anyone and Mahatma Gandhi thought that he may create trouble in the independence of India.

So he requested Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to withdraw his name and he obeyed Mahatma Gandhi as he respected Mahatma Gandhi and for him the nation’s independence is more important than any post and he became the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India. He organized relief efforts for refugees who were fleeing to Punjab and Delhi from Pakistan and worked to restore peace . 

Sardar Patel played a crucial role in the Constitution Assembly. He played an important role in the selection of members of the drafting committee. He was the only person who stood for and against Nehru. He stands strongly for fundamental rights, status of Jammu and Kashmir, position of Prime Minister and the election procedure of President. He also presented the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) which ensures good governance in the country. 

He played a major role in uniting India. In 1947, at the time of Indian Independence Act there were 565 Princely States (indirectly ruled by British) and it was so important to make them a part of India. Actually, under British Raj India consisted of two territories, British India and Princely States. British Government declared India independent by rights to both territories. It was a smart game played by British. Their strategy was to disintegrate India so that whenever required these Princely States can easily be conquered by other countries.

But Indian Government understood their ugly game and chose Patel for the task to unite India. He personally went to each Princely State and tried to convince them to be a part of India. Most of the Princely States agreed, they were so impressed by the Patel’s charm and patriotic feeling for the nation that they agreed easily but there are some states which are not ready to become a part of India Patel said to them if they are not ready to become a part of India then they should be ready to face the largest army in the world and as the result they also agreed.

The credit of Republic India goes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel known as the Iron man because of his selfless love for the Nation. We lost our Iron Man on 15th December, 1950. He died of heart attack in Mumbai, Maharashtra. In 1991, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was awarded posthumously with India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna. 

In 2014, the Modi government declared Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas. It pledges to the citizens of India to maintain integrity or unity of the country.

On 31st October 2018 , Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the tallest statue in the world, the statue of Iron Man, the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Narmada district, Gujrat. The statue is named as “Statue of unity “. It is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 meters. The statue is magnificent just like the personality of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.