Today, December 15 marks thedeath anniversary of the country's first Home Minister Sardar VallabhbhaiPatel. He is also known as Sardar Patel and the ‘Iron Man of India'. ewas the first deputy Prime Minister of India. He was born on 31 October1875 in Kheda, Gujarat.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was oneof the prominent leaders of the Freedom Movement of India. He was one ofthe conservative members of the Indian National Congress. He is alsoremembered as the "patron saint of India's civil servants" for havingestablished the modern All India Services system. He is also calledthe "Unifier of India".
The Statue of Unity, theworld's tallest statue, was dedicated to him on 31 October 2018 and isapproximately 182 meters (597 ft) in height.
On Sardar Patel’s deathanniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to him. He wrote onTwitter, “Remembering Sardar Patel on his Punya Tithi. India will always begrateful to him for his monumental service, his administrative skills and theuntiring efforts to unite our nation.”
Home Minister Amit Shah also rememberedSardar Patel on his death anniversary. He wrote, “Every moment in the life ofIron Man Sardar Patel, the wonderful architect of unity and integrity of thecountry who resides in the heart of every Indian, was dedicated to awakeningthe spirit of one nation in India. His thoughts will always guide the country.”
Nitin Gadkari, Minister of RoadTransport & Highways, wrote, “Humble greetings to Bharat Ratna SardarVallabhbhai Patel Ji, the architect of national unity and the creator ofNavbharat, on his death anniversary. #SardarVallabhbhaiPatel”
Sardar Patel was honoured bymembers of Parliament. He was awarded honorary doctorates of law by NagpurUniversity, the University of Allahabad and Banaras HinduUniversity in November 1948. The government of India declared his birthday on October 30th as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).