The Congress on Tuesday paid tributes to India’s first deputy prime minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra underlining the importance of remembering his principles at a time when farmers are protesting against the new agri laws.
Patel, a freedom fighter who also became India’s first home minister, is credited with unifying hundreds of princely states in to the Union of India following independence through a mix of persuasion, dialogue and even use of force when required.
“On his death anniversary, we pay solemn tribute to India’s Sardar, the man behind a united India, Shri Vallabhbhai Patel,” the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.
“As a brave freedom fighter & the nation’s first Deputy PM, his innumerable contributions to nation-building inspire countless of Indians even today,” the party said.
In a Facebook post in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi shared Patel’s quote that “my only wish is that India should be a good producer and no one in this country should shed tears while being hungry”.
