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Ahmedabad/Agartala, Nov 26 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel dedicated his entire life to protecting the unity and integrity of India and played an important role in building the country’s administrative structure and strengthening national unity.
Addressing the flag hoisting ceremony of the Sardar@150 Unity March national march at Shastri Maidan in Gujarat, the Tripura Chief Minister said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the architect of India’s unity and continues to remind the nation of the importance of unity to protect India’s sovereignty and integrity.
An official at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Agartala said Saha along with his Gujarat counterpart Bhupendra Patel visited the house of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and paid floral tributes at his portrait.
Saha said that “Today, we are not just participating in the Padayatra, but paying tribute to the great ideals of unity, courage and nation-building.”
He said, ‘National Unity Day’, celebrated every year on 31st October on the birth anniversary of the architect of India’s unity, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, reminds us of the importance of unity to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
The Tripura Chief Minister said that National Unity Day is especially important this year as it marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
“This National Padyatra is being organized as part of the Sardar@150 Unity March celebrations of My India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in honor of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” Saha said.
He said that its main objective is to remember the contribution of Sardar Patel, the architect of the unity of India and to inculcate a sense of unity, patriotism and responsibility among the youth of the country.
Noting that the core spirit of this initiative is One India, Self-reliant India, the Tripura Chief Minister said that to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, various programs have been organized in different areas in the state of Tripura as well.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, played an important role in establishing the unity of the country after independence.
He said, “Sardar Patel dreamed of a united and strong India. He firmly believed that India’s strength lay in its diversity. We all know that during India’s independence, especially between 1947 and 1949, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel integrated about 560 princely states into India. Patel is a supporter of the unity and integrity of the nation. He dedicated his entire life to protect the unity and integrity of India and the administrative structure of the country. Played a very important role in the creation of
Saha said that since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been celebrating National Unity Day across the country in the honor of Vallabhbhai Patel.
Tripura Chief Minister said, “In honor of Sardar Patel, the Government of India is celebrating the Sardar@150 Unity March in Gujarat this year, with the aim of strengthening the nation, building a prosperous India and inspiring everyone to be patriots. The Sardar@150 Unity March is being organized in various phases across the country. Padyatras at the district level have been organized from October 31 to November 25, and they have been celebrated with great enthusiasm in Tripura as well.”
–IANS
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