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SARDAR PATEL - BUILDER OF A STEEL STRONG INDIA*

The history of India would have been different had Sardar Patel not been the DeputyPrime Minister when India became independent in 1947. he triumvirate! "andhi#i$

%ehru and Sardar Patel were responsible for &ivin& direction to the destiny of the

country. Sardar Patel consolidated the country into one united whole in a uni'ue manner.

(orn on )ctober *1$ 1+7, at %adiad$ in the -aira district of "u#arat$ allabh (haiPatel was the son of /averbhai "alabhai Patel $ a 0eva Patidar.

Patel passed the matriculation eamination from the %adiad 2i&h School in 1+97.

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Qualities

. his class of cultivators was 3nown for their simple character$ industrious habits and

strai&htforward dealin&s. allabh (hai possessed an in&enous mind as a school boy. 2e

was a rebel whose eceptional or&anisational abilities were reco&nised by his

schoolmates and teachers.

Gandhiji's Disciple

he impact of "andhi#is personality on allabhbhai was tremendous. It &ave him a

new mission in life. he 5hamparan stru&&le wa&ed by "andhi#i had a sweepin& effecton Patels mind. In "andhi#is 5hamparan victory Patel saw the be&innin& of a new

a&rarian revolution. 2is interest in politics had been 3indled$ as became abunduntly clear

in the Provincial Political 5onference or&anised by the "u#arat Sabha and presided by"andhi#i at "odhara. he conference appointed a permanent committee with "andhi#i as

the President and Patel as one of the secretaries. 2e became a staunch follower of"andhi#i. 6rom then on there was no loo3in& bac3. (lessed with rare 'ualities offortitude$ inte&rity and an iron determination$ Patel played an important role in the

freedom movement.

Indomitable Personality

It was due to his sterlin& leadership and practical vision that the peasant movement in"u#arat became a success. It was in this stru&&le that the or&anisational capacity for

which Sardar Patel was famous in the whole country became visible. 2e too3 over as the

nascent nations 2ome Minister at a very crucial #uncture in history and devoted himselfwhole heartedly to ensure that the country which was already partitioned$ remained intact

and united.

Building a Union

)n the eve of their departure$ the (ritish &overnment announced that its paramountcy

would lapse not only over the (ritish territory but even over the native States . his

meant that as many as 8, small and bi& native States would become independent li3e

India and Pa3istan. 5onse'uently$ the country would be divided into a number of small

and bi& units.

(efore embar3in& on this mammoth tas3$ Sardar sou&ht to ensure the stability of

administration by for&in& a brid&e of faith and confidence with theSteel 6rame. Most of

the I.5.S. officers suspected that the 5on&ress leaders$ particularly Sardar in view of hispast eperiences with them$ would have no faith in the I.5.S. (ut Sardar rose to the

occasion and reposed total trust in their capability to serve the nation. 2e was$ thus$ able

to win their unstinted support in the endeavour of nation buildin&.

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:ttempts were afoot for finalisin& the standstill a&reement with the States. It provided

that the 5entral "overnment will be vested with powers of defence$ forei&n policy and

communications even over the States. ravancore$ 2yderabad and some other Statesdeclared themselves soverei&n States and created hurdles in the a&reement. )n the other

end$ ;innah with a view to tempt ;odhpur$ ;aisalmer and other border States made them

an unconditional offer to ali&n with Pa3istan on their terms.

Political Sagacity

o find an amicable solution to this complicated situation$ Sardar issued a statement to

the princes wherein he appealed to their sense of patriotism and reiterated that the newStates department in no way$ desire to have supremacy over them. If at all$ any sense of

supremacy is re'uired$ it would be with common understandin& and for common &ood.

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?ven by :u&ust 1,$ 2yderabad 3ept aloof. 2ence$ 0ord Mountbatten himself started

ne&otiations. :t one sta&e$ it appeared that there was a settlement but %i>am found

himself helpless a&ainst the pressures of Aa>a3ars. he Aa>a3ars started harassin& thelocal public. hus$ when the situation went out of control$ Sardar with the consent of the

"overnor "eneral initiated police action. In 1=+ hours$ the %i>am surrendered and

2yderabad acceded and mer&ed with India. he %awab of ;una&adh accepted anaccession with Pa3istan. Sardar solved this comple problem in his own inimitable way

and the %awab and his Diwan left ;una&adh for Pa3istan.

hus$ the Ba&na for establishment of a united India underta3en by Sardar was

completed with the mer&er of 2yderabad. Politically$ India became one and united. In thehistory of India stretched over a&es$ India became one and united for the first time and

that too without sheddin& a drop of blood. hat was the marvel of the personality of

Sardar. he sterlin& 'ualities of leadership he had shown as leader of Satya&raha$flowered in &reater way in the administration of the country$ maintenance of law and

order and ensurin& stability of the country and ma3in& it invulnerable.

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Achievements: Successfully led Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli revolt against British government; elected

Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"; elected #ongress $resident in 19%1; &as

independent ndia's first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister; played a +ey role in political

integration of ndia; conferred Bharat ,atna in 1991-

Sardar $atel &as popularly +no&n as ron )an of ndia- *is full name &as .allabhbhai $atel- *e played a

leading role in the ndian freedom struggle and became the first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister

of ndia- *e is credited &ith achieving political integration of ndia-

.allabhbhai $atel &as born on /ctober %1 10" in adiad a small village in 3u4arat- *is father

5haverbhai &as a farmer and mother 6aad Bai &as a simple lady- Sardar .allabhai's early education too+

place in Karamsad- 7hen he 4oined a school in $etlad- After t&o years he 4oined a high school in a to&n

called adiad- *e passed his high school e8amination in 109- Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a brilliant

student throughout his schooling-

.allabhbhai &anted to become a barrister- 7o realie this ambition he had to go to ngland- But he did not

have the financial means to even 4oin a college ndia- n those days a candidate could study in private and

sit for an e8amination in 6a&- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel borro&ed boo+s from a la&yer of his acthree years old &hen his &ife died- *e did not &ish to marry again- After his

brother's return .allabhbhai &ent to ngland- *e studied &ith single>minded devotion and stood first in

the Barrister>at>6a& 8amination-

Sardar $atel returned to ndia in 191% and started his practice in Ahmedabad- Soon he became popular-

At the urging of his friends $atel contested and &on elections to become the sanitation commissioner of

Ahmedabad in 191"- Sardar $atel &as deeply impressed by 3andhi4i's success in #hamparan Satyagraha-

n 1910 there &as a drought in the Kheda division of 3u4arat- $easants as+ed for relief from the high rate

of ta8es but the British government refused- 3andhi4i too+ up peasants cause but could not devote his full

time in Kheda- *e &as loo+ing for someone &ho could lead the struggle in his absence- At this point

Sardar $atel volunteered to come for&ard and lead the struggle- *e gave up his lucrative legal practice

and entered public life-

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.allabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt ended in 1919 &hen the British

government agreed to suspend collection of revenue and roll bac+ the rates- Kheda Satyagraha turned

.allabhbhai $atel into a national hero- .allabhbhai supported 3andhi's on>#ooperation )ovement and as

president of the 3u4arat #ongress helped in organiing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad- *e gave

up his nglish clothes and started &earing Khadi- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel &as elected Ahmedabad's

municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"- (uring his terms Ahmedabad &as e8tended a ma4or supply

of electricity and under&ent ma4or education reforms- (rainage and sanitation systems &ere e8tended

over all the city-

n 1920 Bardoli 7alu+a in 3u4arat suffered from floods and famine- n this hour of distress the British

government raised the revenue ta8es by thirty percent- Sardar $atel too+ up cudgels on behalf of the

farmers and appealed to the 3overnor to reduce the ta8es- 7he 3overnor refused and the government

even announced the date of the collection of the ta8es- Sardar $atel organied the farmers and told them

not to pay even a single pie of ta8- 7he government tried to repress the revolt but ultimately bo&ed

before .allabhbhai $atel- t &as during the struggle and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense

e8citement across ndia that $atel &as increasingly addressed by his colleagues and follo&ers as Sardar-

Sardar $atel &as imprisoned during #ivil (isobedience )ovement in 19%=- After the signing of 3andhi>

r&in pact in 19%1 Sardar $atel &as released and he &as elected #ongress president for its 19%1 session

in Karachi- ?pon the failure of the ,ound 7able #onference in 6ondon 3andhi4i and Sardar $atel &ere

arrested in 5anuary 19%2 and imprisoned in the @eravada #entral 5ail- (uring this term of imprisonment

Sardar $atel and )ahatma 3andhi gre& close to one another and the t&o developed a close bond of

affection trust and fran+ness &ithout reserve- Sardar $atel &as finally released in 5uly 19%!-

n August 19!2 the #ongress launched the uit ndia )ovement- 7he government 4ailed all the important

leaders of the #ongress including .allabhai $atel- All the leaders &ere released after three years- After

achieving independence on 1th of August 19!" $andit 5a&aharlal ehru became the first $rime )inister

of independent ndia and Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e &as in charge of *ome

Affairs nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of States-

7here &ere princely states in ndia at that time- Some of the )ahara4as and a&abs &ho ruled over

these &ere sensible and patriotic- But most of them &ere drun+ &ith &ealth and po&er- 7hey &ere

dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British

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SARDAR PATEL - BUILDER OF A STEEL STRONG INDIA*

The history of India would have been different had Sardar Patel not been the DeputyPrime Minister when India became independent in 1947. he triumvirate! "andhi#i$

%ehru and Sardar Patel were responsible for &ivin& direction to the destiny of thecountry. Sardar Patel consolidated the country into one united whole in a uni'ue manner.

Formative Years

(orn on )ctober *1$ 1+7, at %adiad$ in the -aira district of "u#arat$ allabh (haiPatel was the son of /averbhai "alabhai Patel $ a 0eva Patidar. his class of cultivators

was 3nown for their simple character$ industrious habits and strai&htforward dealin&s.

allabh (hai possessed an in&enous mind as a school boy. 2e was a rebel whoseeceptional or&anisational abilities were reco&nised by his schoolmates and teachers.

Patel passed the matriculation eamination from the %adiad 2i&h School in 1+97.

Patel had two ambitions to fulfil $ first to become a pleader and later a barrister. Durin&

those days a matriculate could become a lawyer by ta3in& the pleaders eamination. 2ebecame a pleader in 19==$ and started practisin& in "odhra. In 19=8 he shifted to (alsad$

a talu3a head'uarter$ where he practised as a criminal lawyer for nearly ei&ht years$

durin& which period he had built a name for himself as a most successful criminal lawyer.In 191=$ he left for 0ondon and #oined the Middle emple$ where he too3 an eamination

in Aoman 0aw and stood first. 2e returned to India in 191* and started practisin& as a

barrister in :hmedabad $ fulfillin& his second ambition.

Gandhiji's Disciple

he impact of "andhi#is personality on allabhbhai was tremendous. It &ave him a

new mission in life. he 5hamparan stru&&le wa&ed by "andhi#i had a sweepin& effect

on Patels mind. In "andhi#is 5hamparan victory Patel saw the be&innin& of a newa&rarian revolution. 2is interest in politics had been 3indled$ as became abunduntly clear

in the Provincial Political 5onference or&anised by the "u#arat Sabha and presided by

"andhi#i at "odhara. he conference appointed a permanent committee with "andhi#i asthe President and Patel as one of the secretaries. 2e became a staunch follower of

"andhi#i. 6rom then on there was no loo3in& bac3. (lessed with rare 'ualities of

fortitude$ inte&rity and an iron determination$ Patel played an important role in thefreedom movement.

Indomitable Personality

It was due to his sterlin& leadership and practical vision that the peasant movement in

"u#arat became a success. It was in this stru&&le that the or&anisational capacity for

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which Sardar Patel was famous in the whole country became visible. 2e too3 over as the

nascent nations 2ome Minister at a very crucial #uncture in history and devoted himself

whole heartedly to ensure that the country which was already partitioned$ remained intactand united.

Building a Union

)n the eve of their departure$ the (ritish &overnment announced that its paramountcywould lapse not only over the (ritish territory but even over the native States . his

meant that as many as 8, small and bi& native States would become independent li3e

India and Pa3istan. 5onse'uently$ the country would be divided into a number of smalland bi& units.

(efore embar3in& on this mammoth tas3$ Sardar sou&ht to ensure the stability of

administration by for&in& a brid&e of faith and confidence with theSteel 6rame. Most of

the I.5.S. officers suspected that the 5on&ress leaders$ particularly Sardar in view of hispast eperiences with them$ would have no faith in the I.5.S. (ut Sardar rose to the

occasion and reposed total trust in their capability to serve the nation. 2e was$ thus$ able

to win their unstinted support in the endeavour of nation buildin&.

:ttempts were afoot for finalisin& the standstill a&reement with the States. It providedthat the 5entral "overnment will be vested with powers of defence$ forei&n policy and

communications even over the States. ravancore$ 2yderabad and some other States

declared themselves soverei&n States and created hurdles in the a&reement. )n the otherend$ ;innah with a view to tempt ;odhpur$ ;aisalmer and other border States made them

an unconditional offer to ali&n with Pa3istan on their terms.

Political Sagacity

o find an amicable solution to this complicated situation$ Sardar issued a statement tothe princes wherein he appealed to their sense of patriotism and reiterated that the new

States department in no way$ desire to have supremacy over them. If at all$ any sense of

supremacy is re'uired$ it would be with common understandin& and for common &ood.

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: man of iron will and absolute fearlessness$ Sardar Patel tac3led the 'uestion of ,,=

and odd State territories and principalities in such a strate&ic manner which left even his

wildest critics in complete ama>ement. :lmost within a year he redrew the map of Indiawith every princely State #oinin& the Indian union and thus$ formin& part of the political

stream of life that was endowed with cultural unity and harmony.

Intricate Situation

he intricacy of the situation can perhaps be &au&ed by the fact that there were 8

small States in )rissa and 1, in the 5hattis&arh area of present Madhya Pradesh. It

re'uired s3ilful diplomacy on the part of Sardar Patel to persuade them to mer&e intobi&&er$ more viable units. ?ven more tic3lish was the case of Saurashtra where there were

14 bi& States$ 119 small States and other units under different administrations totallin&

+=.

he herculean tas3 of mer&in& all of them into the Saurashtra union was alsoaccomplished by Sardar Patel. Soon$ State after State started accedin& to the Indian

@nion. )ne after the other$ "walior$ Indore$ Dhar$ Dewas all accepted the advice of

Sardar. Aa#putana States followed the same. he Si3hs of Pun#ab also cooperated with

the mer&er.

?ven by :u&ust 1,$ 2yderabad 3ept aloof. 2ence$ 0ord Mountbatten himself started

ne&otiations. :t one sta&e$ it appeared that there was a settlement but %i>am found

himself helpless a&ainst the pressures of Aa>a3ars. he Aa>a3ars started harassin& thelocal public. hus$ when the situation went out of control$ Sardar with the consent of the

"overnor "eneral initiated police action. In 1=+ hours$ the %i>am surrendered and

2yderabad acceded and mer&ed with India. he %awab of ;una&adh accepted anaccession with Pa3istan. Sardar solved this comple problem in his own inimitable wayand the %awab and his Diwan left ;una&adh for Pa3istan.

hus$ the Ba&na for establishment of a united India underta3en by Sardar was

completed with the mer&er of 2yderabad. Politically$ India became one and united. In the

history of India stretched over a&es$ India became one and united for the first time andthat too without sheddin& a drop of blood. hat was the marvel of the personality of

Sardar. he sterlin& 'ualities of leadership he had shown as leader of Satya&raha$

flowered in &reater way in the administration of the country$ maintenance of law andorder and ensurin& stability of the country and ma3in& it invulnerable.

!"#rd Birth $nniversary o% Sardar Patel is being observed on &ctober #! !(()

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Born: October 31, 1875

Died: December 15, 1950

Achievements: Successfully led Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli revolt against British government; elected

Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"; elected #ongress $resident in 19%1; &as

independent ndia's first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister; played a +ey role in political

integration of ndia; conferred Bharat ,atna in 1991-

Sardar $atel &as popularly +no&n as ron )an of ndia- *is full name &as .allabhbhai $atel- *e played a

leading role in the ndian freedom struggle and became the first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister

of ndia- *e is credited &ith achieving political integration of ndia-

.allabhbhai $atel &as born on /ctober %1 10" in adiad a small village in 3u4arat- *is father

5haverbhai &as a farmer and mother 6aad Bai &as a simple lady- Sardar .allabhai's early education too+

place in Karamsad- 7hen he 4oined a school in $etlad- After t&o years he 4oined a high school in a to&n

called adiad- *e passed his high school e8amination in 109- Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a brilliant

student throughout his schooling-

.allabhbhai &anted to become a barrister- 7o realie this ambition he had to go to ngland- But he did not

have the financial means to even 4oin a college ndia- n those days a candidate could study in private and

sit for an e8amination in 6a&- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel borro&ed boo+s from a la&yer of his acthree years old &hen his &ife died- *e did not &ish to marry again- After his

brother's return .allabhbhai &ent to ngland- *e studied &ith single>minded devotion and stood first in

the Barrister>at>6a& 8amination-

Sardar $atel returned to ndia in 191% and started his practice in Ahmedabad- Soon he became popular-

At the urging of his friends $atel contested and &on elections to become the sanitation commissioner of

Ahmedabad in 191"- Sardar $atel &as deeply impressed by 3andhi4i's success in #hamparan Satyagraha-

n 1910 there &as a drought in the Kheda division of 3u4arat- $easants as+ed for relief from the high rate

of ta8es but the British government refused- 3andhi4i too+ up peasants cause but could not devote his full

time in Kheda- *e &as loo+ing for someone &ho could lead the struggle in his absence- At this point

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Sardar $atel volunteered to come for&ard and lead the struggle- *e gave up his lucrative legal practice

and entered public life-

.allabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt ended in 1919 &hen the British

government agreed to suspend collection of revenue and roll bac+ the rates- Kheda Satyagraha turned

.allabhbhai $atel into a national hero- .allabhbhai supported 3andhi's on>#ooperation )ovement and as

president of the 3u4arat #ongress helped in organiing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad- *e gave

up his nglish clothes and started &earing Khadi- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel &as elected Ahmedabad's

municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"- (uring his terms Ahmedabad &as e8tended a ma4or supply

of electricity and under&ent ma4or education reforms- (rainage and sanitation systems &ere e8tended

over all the city-

n 1920 Bardoli 7alu+a in 3u4arat suffered from floods and famine- n this hour of distress the British

government raised the revenue ta8es by thirty percent- Sardar $atel too+ up cudgels on behalf of the

farmers and appealed to the 3overnor to reduce the ta8es- 7he 3overnor refused and the government

even announced the date of the collection of the ta8es- Sardar $atel organied the farmers and told them

not to pay even a single pie of ta8- 7he government tried to repress the revolt but ultimately bo&ed

before .allabhbhai $atel- t &as during the struggle and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense

e8citement across ndia that $atel &as increasingly addressed by his colleagues and follo&ers as Sardar-

Sardar $atel &as imprisoned during #ivil (isobedience )ovement in 19%=- After the signing of 3andhi>

r&in pact in 19%1 Sardar $atel &as released and he &as elected #ongress president for its 19%1 session

in Karachi- ?pon the failure of the ,ound 7able #onference in 6ondon 3andhi4i and Sardar $atel &ere

arrested in 5anuary 19%2 and imprisoned in the @eravada #entral 5ail- (uring this term of imprisonment

Sardar $atel and )ahatma 3andhi gre& close to one another and the t&o developed a close bond of

affection trust and fran+ness &ithout reserve- Sardar $atel &as finally released in 5uly 19%!-

n August 19!2 the #ongress launched the uit ndia )ovement- 7he government 4ailed all the important

leaders of the #ongress including .allabhai $atel- All the leaders &ere released after three years- After

achieving independence on 1th of August 19!" $andit 5a&aharlal ehru became the first $rime )inister

of independent ndia and Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e &as in charge of *ome

Affairs nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of States-

7here &ere princely states in ndia at that time- Some of the )ahara4as and a&abs &ho ruled over

these &ere sensible and patriotic- But most of them &ere drun+ &ith &ealth and po&er- 7hey &ere

dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British

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Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, in a farmer's family in Nadiad, G!arat" #isfather, $a%erbhai, had ser%ed in the army of &hansi i (ani, and his mother, )adbai, was adee*ly reli+ios woman"Vallabhbhai's initial schoolin+ was in G!arati" #is brother Vithalbhai, after com*letin+middle school, had enrolled himself in n+lish ttorial classes in a nearby town"Vallabhbhai followed sit" Vallabhbhai's s*erior or+ani-ational sills became e%ident

while he was in hi+h school at Petlad when he coordinated the entire cam*ai+n for a *oorteacher who he tho+ht deser%ed a seat on the local mnici*al committee" Vallabhbhai*ersaded his fellow stdents to wor for the cam*ai+n" So im*ressi%ely was thecam*ai+n handled that the teacher was elected o%er the rich local bsinessman"Vallabhbhai matriclated from Nadiad #i+h School in 18.7"

Vallabhbhai was married to $a%erbai in 18.1" /he co*le had two children0a da+hteraniben, born in 2*ril of 1.4, and a son ayabhai, born in No%ember of 1.5" $a%erbaidied in &anary of 1.."

Vallabhbhai sailed for n+land in 2+st of 1.1 to stdy law" #e 6alified as a barrister in1.13 and retrned to ndia to a lcrati%e *ractice in 2hmedabad" #e !oined the G!arat lb

and too to western dressin+ and a comfortable lifestyle"

Gandhi!i started comin+ to the G!arat lb to +i%e lectres" #e came a+ain and a+ain,*ro*a+atin+ the idea of his newly wielded wea*on of 9satya+raha9 or trth force"

Vallabhbhai was im*ressed with Gandhi!i and slowly be+an to ado*t his %iew" /herelationshi* between Gandhi!i and Vallabhbhai was concretely defined when Gandhi!i waselected the President of the G!arat Sabha and Vallabhbhai the Secretary, in 1.17" t was a

relationshi* of a +r :teacher; and disci*le"

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Vallabhbhai +ot his first o**ortnity to tili-e Gandhi!i's *hiloso*hy of satya+raha in 1.18

for the farmers of 8, Vallabhbhai once a+ain came to the resce of the farmers, this time it was in

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Paistan's share of cash balances left by the ?ritish" Gandhi!i felt sch an act wold bemorally wron+ and went on a fast nto death" Sardar Patel tried to *re%ail o%er Gandhi!i,

bt he finally relented in order to sa%e the life of the 9@ather of the Nation"9

Sardar Patel handled the *ortfolio of #ome inister, inister of States and inister of

nformation and ?roadcastin+" 2s #ome inister he had to deal with commnaldistrbances that contined to roc the nation after *artition" #e transferred army nitsfrom Pne and adras to deal with the distrbances in elhi" #e had the army mo%e ten

thosand slims to (ed @ort to *rotect them from the riots"

Sardar Patel handled the inte+ration of all the *rincely states into the ndian Enion with+reat e=*ertise" Ender the abinet ission, all the *rincely states had the ri+ht to !oin

Paistan, ndia or remain inde*endent" /he Sardar declared that 9we are all nit to+ether bybonds of blood and feelin+s""" /herefore, it is better for s to mae laws sittin+ to+ether asfriends"9 Sardar Patel dealt with #yderabad and &na+had firmly when these states tried to

!oin Paistan or remain inde*endent" Gandhi!i was fll of *raise"

2s time *assed, differences in o*inion formed between Sardar Patel and &awaharlal Nehr"

Gandhi!i wanted both to wor to+ether for the betterment of ndia" On &anary 3, 1.48,Sardar Patel met Gandhi!i who e=*ressed his wish that Sardar Patel wor side by side withNehr" /he same day Gandhi!i was assassinated" Sardar Patel was crshed" #e was frtherhrt when he was critici-ed for not *rotectin+ Gandhi!i" Sardar Patel wanted to *ost *lain0

cloth *olicemen at the Gandhi!i's *rayer meetin+s, bt Gandhi!i had forbidden it" 2fterGandhi!i's death, Sardar Patel acted as Gandhi!i had wished and wored closely with

Nehr"

Sardar Patel formed the ndian 2dministrati%e Ser%ice, ndian Police Ser%ice and otherentral Ser%ices to assist in the *rocess of nation bildin+" /he 9ron an of ndia9 died in

?ombay in ecember 1.5" #e left behind a nited ndia"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was instrumental in unifying the princely states to form Union of

India. For his fearless approach and stern appearance, Sardar Patel was regarded as the Iron

man of India. To know more about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, read this brief biography andprofile.

ltral ndiaF )eadersF Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

?ornF ! "ctober !#$%

Passed 2wayF !% &ecember !'%(

ontribtions

Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the great social leaders of India. )e played a crucial role during the freedomstruggle of India and was instrumental in the integration of o*er %(( princely states into the Indian Union.

&espite the choice of the people, on the re+uest of ahatma -andhi, Sardar Patel stepped down from the

candidacy of ongress president. The election on that occasion e*entually meant for the election of the first

Prime inister of independent India.

)ife

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on "ctober !, !#$% in -u/arat to 0a*erbhai and 1adbai. Vallabhbhai, )is father

http://www.culturalindia.net/index.htmlhttp://www.culturalindia.net/leaders/index.htmlhttp://www.culturalindia.net/index.htmlhttp://www.culturalindia.net/leaders/index.html

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had ser*ed in the army of the 2ueen of 3hansi while his mother was a *ery spiritual man.

Starting his academic career in a -u/arati medium school Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and shifted to an 4nglish

medium school. In !#'$, Vallabhbhai passed his high school e5amination and started preparing for law

e5amination. !'!(, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel went to 4ngland to study law. )e completed his law studies in

!'! and came back to India and started his law practice. For his 45cellencies in 1aw, Vallabhbhai wasoffered many lucrati*e posts by the 6ritish -o*ernment but he re/ected all. )e was a staunch opponent of

the 6ritish go*ernment and its laws and therefore decided not to work for the 6rit ish.

)e later started practicing at 7hmedabad. 7fter a meeting with ahatma -andhi, at the -u/arat lub,

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel got influenced by -andhi8s words. 1ater, inspired by -andhi8s work and philosophy

Patel became a staunch follower of him.

ndian National o%ement

In !'!$, Sardar Vallabhbhai was elected as the Secretary of the -u/arat Sabha. The ne5t year, when there

was a flood in 9aira, the 6ritish insisted on collecting ta5 from the farmers. Sardar Vallabhbhai led a massi*e

:;o Ta5 campaign: that urged the farmers not to pay their land. The peaceful mo*ement forced the 6ritish

authority to return then land taken away from the farmers )is effort to bring together the farmers of his area

brought him the title of 8Sardar8 to his name.

In !'ed their lands.

Vallabhbhai Patel. The agitation took on for more than si5 months and after a deal struck

between the go*ernment and farmer8s representati*es, the lands were returned.

In !'( Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was imprisoned for participating in the famous Salt

Satyagraha called by ahatma -andhi. )is inspiring speeches during the :Salt

o*ement: transformed the li*es of numerous people, who later played a ma/or role in

making the mo*ement successful.

Sardar Patel was freed in !'! following an agreement signed between ahatma -andhi

and 1ord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The treaty was popularly known as the -andhi=Irwin pact. The

same year, Patel was elected as the president of Indian ;ational ongress Party for its 9arachi session.

In the 9arachi session, the Indian ;ational ongress Party committed itself to the defence of fundamental

rights and human rights and a dream of a secular nation. 7n agreement regarding this was also sanctioned.

In !'?, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the all=India election campaign for the Indian ;ational ongress.

Though he did not contest a seat for himself, Sardar Patel helped his fellow party mates during the election.

Sardar Patel was annoyed at 3awaharlal ;ehru for the latter8s declarations of the adoption of socialism in

!'@. Patel also considered ;eta/i Subhash handra 6ose a :keen of more power within the party.

nflence of Gandhi

Ahile senior leaders including 3awaharlal ;ehru, hakra*arthi Ba/agopalachari and aulana 7>ad critici>ed

ahatma -andhi8s concept that the ci*il disobedience mo*ement would compel the 6ritish to lea*e the

nation, Patel e5tended his support to -andhi. &espite the unwillingness of the ongress )igh ommand,

ahatma -andhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel strongly forced the 7ll India ongress ommittee to ratify

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the ci*il disobedience mo*ement and launch it without delaying further. 7cting under the pressure, the 7ll

India ongress ommittee sanctioned the dri*e on $ 7ugust !'?

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n 1910 .allabhbhai too+ the responsibility of leading thefarmers of 3u4arat- *e &as very successful in his struggle

against the British and became a prominent leader in the

freedom struggle-n 192= the #ongress started the non>cooperation

struggle and .allabhbhai gave up his practice- *e setup

the 3u4arat .idyapeeth &here children could study insteadof attending 3overnment schools-

n 1920 he successfully organised the lando&ners ofBardoli against British ta8 increases- t &as after this that

.allabhbhai &as given the title of SardarD6eaderE-n 19%1 he served as $resident of the ndian ational

#ongress- *e &as sent to 4ail by the British and freed onlyin 19%!-

n 19!2 Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as again sent to 4ail because of the start of theFuit ndia )ovementF-

1n 19!" &hen ndia got freedom Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e&as in charge of *ome Affairs nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of

States- *e &as given the tas+ of organiing == states into one nation- *e too+strong steps li+e sending the army to 5unagadh and *yderabad to force them to

align &ith free ndia- t is because of these strong steps that earned him the title ofF7he man of steelF-

Sardar .allabhbhai passed a&ay in Bombay on the morning of the 1th (ecember19=-

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?ornF "ctober !, !#$%

iedF &ecember !%, !'%(

2chie%ementsF Successfully led 9heda Satyagraha and 6ardoli re*olt against 6ritish

go*ernmentC elected 7hmedabad8s municipal president in !'

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across India, that Patel was increasingly addressed by his colleagues and followers as Sardar.

Sardar Patel was imprisoned during i*il &isobedience o*ement in !'(. 7fter the signing of

-andhi=Irwin pact in !'!, Sardar Patel was released and he was elected ongress president for

its !'! session in 9arachi. Upon the failure of the Bound Table onference in 1ondon, -andhi/i

and Sardar Patel were arrested in 3anuary !'< and imprisoned in the Dera*ada entral 3ail.

&uring this term of imprisonment, Sardar Patel and ahatma -andhi grew close to one another,and the two de*eloped a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness without reser*e. Sardar Patel was

finally released in 3uly !'?.

In 7ugust !'?

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)eerut ndia ovember =% G Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a great leader- *istireless &or+ for the freedom progress unity and integrity of ndia is a testament of

his unidemocraticdecision- As a result the .idyapeeth got its library bac+- Such &as the firmness and

fran+ness of .allabhbhai-

.allabhbhai &as a true follo&er of 3andhi4i &hom he considered as his father- 7hepath of non>violence ta+en by 3andhi4i for the &elfare of his compatriots in dire

conditions &as one that &on ndia its freedom- 7herefore he accepted the )ahatmaas his preceptor-

*is elder brother .ithalbhai $atel &hom .allabhbhai greatly respected and

considered as his father also emerged as one of the stal&arts in ndia's politicsthen- *o&ever .allabhbhai accepted 3andhi4i as his 3uru and leader and not his

brother- n 192= during the time of the on>#ooperation and Khilafat )ovement

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.allabhbhai said he &ould loc+ himself up and give the +ey to Bapu-

n fact .allabhbhai's devotion and dedication is similar to that seen in the *indumythology ,amayana &here 6ord ,ama is surrounded by his devotees li+e his &ife

3oddess Sita his brother 6a8man the mon+ey 3od *anuman etc so are consideredgreat characters due to their deep devotion for 6ord ,ama-

n the entire 3andhian era of ndia's freedom movement despite the presence offreedom fighters li+e ,a4endra $rasad Abul 3haffar Khan and Saro4ini aidu &ho

&ere loyal to 3andhi4i it &as only .allabhbhai &ho uttered that he &ould loc+

himself and give the +ey to Bapu-

Although others believed 3andhian philosophy and follo&ed his footprints it &as onlySardar .allabhbhai $atel &ho &as happy to loc+ himself and give the +ey to 3andhi4i-

Such &as .allabhbahi $atel a uni

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S2(2( V2))2?#?#2 P2/)0 /# (ON 2N O@ N2

mail

Aritten by lionofgu/araton &ec=!%=(# $E(pm

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one o the $ost inluential leader inGujarat" #e rose to

the national leadership o the !ndian National /on%ress

andat the oreront o rebellions and political e&ents 0

or%ani+in% the party orelections in 132 and 137, and

helpin% lead !ndians into the 4uit !ndia*o&e$ent" (atel

was known a$on%st nationalists as 6Gandhislieutenant,6

and he enjoyed considerable support and respect in

the/on%ress or his decisi&e and strai%htorward

leadership"

INTEGATION OF INDIA BY SARDAR PATEL

'eco$in% the irst #o$e *inister andeputy (ri$e

*inister o !ndia, (atel or%ani+ed relie andrehabilitationeorts in the riot)struck (unjab and elhi,

and leadin% eorts to restorepeace and security" (atel

took char%e o the task to or%e a united !ndiaro$ a

plethora o se$i)independent princely states, colonial

pro&inces andpossessions" (atel e$ployed an iron fist in

a velvet glove diplo$acy$dash9 rank political

ne%otiations backed with the option :and the use;

o$ilitary action to weld a nation that could e$ancipate

its people without theprospect o di&isions or ci&il

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conlict" #is leadership obtained the peaceuland swit

inte%ration o all 5

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ARNED NE!R" BEFORE !E MADE BIGMISTA#E

?hen the (akistani in&asion oash$ir be%an in

>epte$ber 127, (atel i$$ediately wanted to send

troops intoash$ir" 'ut a%reein% with Nehru and*ountbatten, he waited till ash$irs$onarch had

acceded to !ndia" (atel then o&ersaw !ndias $ilitary

operations tosecure >rina%ar, the 'ara$ulla (ass and

the orces retrie&ed a lot o territoryro$ the in&aders"

(atel, alon% with eence *inister 'alde& >in%h

ad$inistered the entire $ilitary eort,

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arran%in%or troops ro$ dierent

parts o !ndia to be rushed to ash$ir and or a$ajor

$ilitary road connectin% >rina%ar to (athankot be builtin < $onths"(atelstron%ly ad&ised Nehru a%ainst %oin%

or arbitration to the @nited Nations,insistin% that

(akistan had been wron% to support the in&asion and

theaccession to !ndia was &alid" #e did not want orei%n

intererence in abilateral aair" (atel opposed the

release o .s" 55 crores to the Go&ern$ento (akistan,con&inced that the $oney would %o to inance the war

a%ainst !ndiain ash$ir" Bhe /abinet had appro&ed his

point but it was re&ersed when Gandhi,who eared an

intensiyin% ri&alry and urther co$$unal &iolence, went

on aast)unto)death to obtain the release" (atel, thou%h

not estran%ed ro$ Gandhi,was deeply hurt at the

rejection o his counsel and a /abinet decision"

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I !a$e been al%a&' infl(en)ed b&

follo%in* leader'hi+ ',illof

>=.=. V=AA='#'#=! (=BCA

TenacityD)one the $ost inspirin% stron% point o >ardar

(atel was hisir$ness to the %oal decided to achie&e" #is

tenacity was indeed inco$parable"

InvincibilityD) =ter %ettin% reedo$, when whole world

was thinkin% that !ndiawould be di&ided in thousands o

parts, >ardar (atel was the person who pro&edthe$

wron% and inte%rate !ndia"

Ability of strong and fast decision making skill D)

'eore reedo$ or aterreedo$ >ardar (atel was always

know or his decision $akin%"

Influence & team building D)one o the $ost i$portant

characteristic o any leader is hisinluencin% ability"

>ardar (atel was ull o this skill" Eor e%"

Or%ani+edar$ers o heda and 'ardoli o Gujarat to

hold $ass) non&iolent ci&ildisobedience irst ti$e in

!ndia" =t that point ar$ers were not united and

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wasdeter$ined to do &iolent $o&e$ent a%ainst

'ritishers"

Conflict resolution D) >ardar (atel was also ha&in%

%reat conlict resolution skill"Bhere are so $any e-a$ple

in his lie or it but the way he consolidated

!ndian(rincely >tates that is really inco$parable"

Flexibility according to situation D) >ardar (atels

$ost inspirin% characteristic was adaptability withany

kind o situation" ?hen he was $o&in% ro$ one &illa%e

to another to unitethe !ndia, he aced $any hurdles, he

went to jail $any ti$es

Never ending Winning Spirit D) ! ha&e read a book

about >ardar (atelslie, written by .aj$ohan Gandhi, !

was $oti&ated by his ne&er endin% spirit,dedication to

work, loyalty to country, always adaptin% with %roupand$aintainin% balance in %roup :specially in conte-t o

Fawaharlal Nehru;"thereare so$any incidents durin% his

childhood about how he used to %o school, his tolerance

power etc" which really$oti&ated $e"

-on)l('ion

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Bhus, lie o >ardar (atel is continuous low

o inspirations" Bhis%reat leader was sel)educated" #e

has nurtured $any skills in his sel by hisown" Bhe

abo&e)$entioned ualities about hi$ are $ost desired

in a $ana%er alsobecause proble$s ne&er co$e ater

inor$in% us" ! used to peep into the book o>ardar

(atel) = dedicated lie when ! eel $ysel cau%ht up in

any &erydiicult proble$ and ! a$ always able to ind

the solution out o it" !t wontbe e-a%%eration to say that

ater *ahat$a Gandhi, >ardar (atel is the $ost saluted

leader in !ndia"! salute this %reat Aeader"

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Nation needs his iron ill

!a"#ohan

Sardar Patel$ A rare %onstru%ti&e "enius

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dealin& with the princes was truly formidable$ but I am

convinced that the Sardar was the only person who could have

coped with it. 0ord Mountbatten$ in his letter of ;une 19$

194+$ to Patel$ wroteC here is no doubt that by far the most

important achievement of the present "overnment is

unification of the States into the Dominion of India. 2ad you

failed in this$ the results would have been disastrous. (ut

since you succeeded$ no one can see the disastrous

conse'uences that you avoided. %othin& has added to the

presti&e of the present "overnment more than the brilliant

policy you have followed with the States.

Patel first formulated a &reat desi&n for a well!3nit India and

then proceeded to materialise it on the &round. 2e aroused the

patriotic sentiments of the princes and reminded themC

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Patel and (ash#ir

If Patel had handled ;ammu E -ashmir$ the subse'uent

confusion and contradictions would have been avoided and

we would not have found ourselves in the bloody and brutal

mess of the present day.

Patel had correctly si>ed up Shei3h :bdullah and sensed his

proclivity to bully. 2is practical sense forbade him to believe

that all Indian e&&s could be safely placed in the Shei3hs

bas3et. 2e bemoaned Indias reference of the -ashmir case to

the @nited %ations. 2e tried his best to secure deletion of the

words$ plebiscite under the @% auspices$ from ;awaharlal

%ehrus radio broadcast on )ctober 8+$ 1947.

In his private conversation$ he sometimes satirically referredto the epertise of the two votaries of the @% in the

"overnment of India !! 0ord Mountbatten and %ehru. Patel

was also a&ainst "opalaswamy :yyan&ar bein& sent as leader

of the Indian dele&ation to the @% and Shei3h :bdullah as

member. 2e preferred Sir "ir#a Shan3ar to the former about

the latter$ he feared that the Shei3hs flamboyant personality

mi&ht easily swamp the boat.

It was unwise to a&ree to many of Shei3h :bdullahs

unreasonable demands and bolster his e&o to such an etentthat he started nursin& illusions of carvin& out a virtual

Shei3hdom for himself and his coterie. 2ad Patel remained

on the scene$ he would have halted the appeasement in time.

o the etent Patel was able to influence the course of events

in ;ammu E -ashmir$ his contribution was fruitful.

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were routed. hree hundred of them were 3illed. he battle of

Shaltan& F%ovember 7G proved decisive. hree days

afterwards$ advancin& Indian troops recaptured (aramullah.

If Patel had his way$ he would not have allowed Mahara#a

2ari Sin&h to be humiliated. 0eft to himself$ he would havestruc3 a proper balance between the re'uirements of the

@nion and the State and also harmonised$ within a sound and

truly secular and democratic framewor3$ the aspirations of

Shei3h :bdullah$ Mahara#a 2ari Sin&h and those of the

people of three main re&ions !! ;ammu$ -ashmir and 0ada3h.

Reor"anisation o' )i&il Ser&i%es

Durin& the freedom stru&&le$ the Indian 5ivil Service was on

the other side of the fence and incurred the wrath of the5on&ress leaders. %ehru berated it as neither Indian nor civil

nor service.

:s the freedom movement &ained momentum and the

spectacle of Partition loomed lar&er over the Indian hori>on$

the members of the Indian 5ivil Service became uneasy about

their future. han3s to the constructive &enius of Patel$ the

tan&le was satisfactorily resolved.

Patels approach was that of a statesman. 2e did not allow the

past rancour of the 5on&ress a&ainst the I5S to blur his

vision. 2e firmly believed that the :ll!India Services had a

vital role to play in buildin& a stron& and united India. 2e

advocated the retention of I5S and IP and proposed the

constitution of two new :ll!India Services !! the Indian

:dministrative Service and the Indian Police Service.

Patel eplained his reasons for favourin& the continuance of

the institution of the I5S durin& the debate in the 5onstituent

:ssembly. : few members criticised his proposals. Saena

reminded the :ssemblyC It was the steel frame of the I5Sthat had enslaved us. :yyan&ar saidC It means that they

were the rulers under the old re&ime and that they will

continue to be so in this re&ime. (ut Patel defended the I5S

vi&orously.

In a speech$ which must be rec3oned as historic in the arena

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of public administration in India$ Patel saidC In point of

patriotism$ in point of sincerity and in point of ability$ you

cannot have a substitute... :s a man of eperience$ I tell you$

do not 'uarrel with the instruments with which you want to

wor3. It is a bad wor3man who 'uarrels with his instruments.

Patels ac3nowled&ement of the role of the Indian 5ivil

Service boosted the morale of the officers and &ave them a

new sense of confidence and purpose. hey saw in him a

&reat &uardian of their le&itimate interests. 2e$ with the

enthusiastic support of the officers$ not only completed the

inte&ration of the states and steered the country throu&h a

critical phase$ but also put the Indian administration on a

secure foundation.

De&eloin" a Ne +odel o' )i&i% Go&ernan%e

hou&h little 3nown$ Patels wor3 in the field of civic

administration was no less remar3able. In 194+$ the (ombay

5orporation held a civic reception in honour of Patel. )n the

occasion$ he was as3ed what he considered to be the finest

hour of his illustrious career. %obody epected him to say

what he said. Invitin& attention to his wor3 first as chairman

of the Sanitary 5ommittee F1917!88G and then as president of

the Municipal (oard F1984!8+G. Patel reflectedC o cleanse

the dirt of the city is 'uite different from cleansin& the dirt ofpolitics. 6rom the former you &et a &ood ni&hts rest$ while the

latter 3eeps you worried and you lose your sleep.

Patels approach was direct and dynamic. 2e often combined

his mornin& wal3s with the inspection tour of the city. In the

company of " Mavalan3ar and civic officers$ he moved into

the narrow streets$ ascertained the problems from the people

and too3 prompt remedial measures. e constructed a model

which solved many of the acute problems of sanitation$

health$ water supply$ waste disposal and traffic.

Sometimes Patel appeared on the streets$ himself leadin& the

sanitary team. his created a new fervour not only amon& his

staff$ but also the youth who #oined his campai&n.

a3in& cue from Patels selfless wor3 in the streets of

:hmedabad$ "andhi advised the municipal councillors all

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over the country not to see3 honours or indul&e in mutual

rivalries$ but to have real spirit of service and covert

themselves into unpaid sweepers and road!ma3ers and$ above

all$ ta3e pride in doin& so.

Prote%tor o' True Interests o' +inorities

Patel has been accused of bein& anti!Muslim. @nfortunately$

in the present!day India$ this accusation has to be faced by all

those who are the real benefactors of Muslims$ but have the

coura&e and commitment of callin& a spade a spade$ and

ma3in& a distinction between appeasement and fairness$

between whettin& the appetite of a trouble!ma3er and tellin&

him to behave.

Patel$ it is often for&otten$ was the chairman of the MinoritiesSub!5ommittee of the 5onstituent :ssembly. he liberal

provisions which our 5onstitution contains for the protection

of lin&uistic and cultural ri&hts of the minorities spea3

volumes about his catholicity. "andhis unflinchin& faith in

Patels secularism comes out clearly in a letter of )ctober 84$

1984$ written to him by Mahadev Desai$ durin& "andhis

famous 81!day fast for 2indu!Muslim unity. Mahadev saidC

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Standard o' Proit.

Patel was an embodiment of probity in public life. he only

property he left comprised a few dhotis and kurtas and a

suitcase. 2e did not tolerate malfeasance anywhere. ?ven a

minor impropriety by his partymen was sternly dealt with.

oday$ when thin&s in India are fallin& apart and the @nion is

totterin&$ the national leadership ou&ht to ta3e a leaf from

Patels boo3 and show the same constructive vision and iron

will which he showed at a critical #uncture of our history.