Ekta Diwas or National Unity Diwas is celebrated every year on October 31, the birth anniversary of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to remember his immense contributions towards the nation. He is credited for integrating more than 550 princely states into Indian Republic.
There has been a constant debate in India about whether the country would have treaded an entirely different path if Patel had been made the first Prime Minister of the country instead of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Interestingly, the Iron Man as he is famously called was also in the running when Congress decided to name a candidate for the post. But it was Mahatma Gandhi who stepped in and asked Patel to withdraw his name and thus Nehru became the first PM of India.
Even then, Patel’s contribution as the first Home Minister cannot be ruled out which is quite mammoth. But it was after Narendra Modi became the PM of the country, that he decided to glorify the contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and that is how the Statue of Unity was erected in Ahmadabad, and the day is now celebrated as National Unity Day.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel handled some serious post-independence exodus
When India became independent there were many feudal and princely states who wanted to retain their independent status. But that would have made governing the entire India as a nation very difficult. As the home minister, Patel handled all such post-partition exodus and even had to manage the nation when there was cross-border violence due to India Pakistan partition.
He was a secular person and from his many decisions and actions, it is quite evident that he believed in humanity more than anything. When hundreds of Muslims who feared onslaught from Hindus sought shelter inside the Nizamuddin Auliyah dargah in Delhi, Patel went inside the dargah and ensured that they were safe.
He was the man who convinced the Sikh leaders to let the convoys of Muslim refugees pass into Pakistan without causing any violence. Patel was the prime motivation behind the Somnath temple’s reconstruction which was destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni. However, being a disciplinarian he made sure that the temple was built with public contributions and by not using the funds from the government.