New Delhi: On the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Congress party on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Congress party said that even its selfless leaders would be shocked if they knew they were being misused. In Patel’s own words, this ideology created an environment that made horrific events like the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi possible.
Congress general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, “Especially since 2014, a group of two people (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah) and their machinery have been brazenly distorting history.” Ramesh wrote on X, “Today, as a grateful nation celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, we must remember that on February 13, 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel in Godhra, where he began his legal career. This speech of Nehru must be reread to understand their strong and deep partnership of over three decades.”
Ramesh said, on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s 75th birth anniversary, Nehru had said that Patel, despite his long and distinguished record of service, had shouldered important responsibilities for the country and that he had shared thirty years of collaboration with him in national affairs. During these years, amidst turmoil and major events, Patel emerged as an influential leader, from whom a large number of people looked for guidance.
The Congress leader further said that on September 19, 1963, then-President S. Radhakrishnan unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel at New Delhi’s prominent Gol Chowk, near the Parliament House and the Election Commission office. Nehru was also present at the time and chose the simple but powerful words “Architect of India’s Unity” for the statue. He recalled that on October 31, 1975, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi presided over the closing ceremony of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s centenary year, widely remembering his many achievements and contributions.
Ramesh said, especially since 2014, history has been brazenly distorted and misrepresented by a group of two (G2) and their machinery. The Congress leader added, “Selfless leaders would have been shocked by their misuse, as this ideology played no role in the freedom struggle or the framing of the Constitution and, in Patel’s words, created the environment that made the horrific tragedy of January 30, 1948, possible.”
