In a speech delivered in Borsad in September 1917, Patel urged people all over the country to sign Gandhi's appeal...
Digital Desk: The 'Iron Man of India' is credited with administratively structuring India and was important in rebuilding this nation after long periods of colonial plunder. On the occasion of his birth anniversary, here is a brief look into Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's life and the milestones that proved significant for the Indian country as it transitioned from a British colony to a sovereign republic.
Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat's Kheda region, and grew up to become a lawyer before establishing himself as a statesman to be dealt with in his powerful political career.
In a speech delivered in Borsad in September 1917, Patel urged people all over the country to sign Gandhi's appeal for Swaraj. Following that, he met Gandhi for the first time at Godhra, and with his encouragement, Patel became the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha, a public body that evolved into the Gujarati arm of the Indian National Congress (INC).
He was chosen as the president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee in 1920, and he served in that role until 1945.
Among Gandhi's oldest political associates, Patel organised peasants from Kheda and other parts of Gujarat in a nonviolent civil disobedience movement against the Raj, eventually becoming one of the region's most powerful leaders.
As Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922, 1924, and 1927, Patel oversaw infrastructure improvements such as enhanced electricity supply and improved drainage and sanitary systems throughout the city.
Major changes were made to the educational system, particularly in schools, where he mandated that teachers working at institutions started by Indian nationalists be recognised and paid. He also spoke on the contentious Hindu-Muslim issues that were under discussion.
Patel personally supervised relief efforts in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused massive floods in Ahmedabad and the Kheda area in 1927, resulting in significant loss of life and property.
He went on to establish refugee centres throughout the district, mobilise volunteers, and arrange for emergency supplies and funds.
Patel led the satyagraha in Nagpur in 1923 against a law that forbade the hoisting of the Indian flag at the time Gandhi was imprisoned. He organised hundreds of volunteers from throughout the country to take part in the march of lawbreakers.
Patel then negotiated a deal that saw all detainees released and nationalists allowed to raise the flag in public.
After Bardoli was hit by famine and a steep tax increase in April 1928, Patel returned to the independence struggle from his municipal duties in Ahmedabad.
Patel eventually started the conflict by completely denying paying taxes.
Congress enacted the Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy Resolution in 1931, under the chairmanship of Sardar Patel.
In addition, following the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Patel was chosen president of Congress in its Karachi session in 1931, which saw the pact ratified and committed itself to the defence of fundamental rights and civil liberties.
It also campaigned for a secular nation with a minimum salary, as well as the abolition of untouchability and serfdom.
After the failure of the Round Table Conference in London in 1932, Gandhi and Patel were detained in January 1932, when the struggle re-opened.
They were detained at the Yeravda Central Jail. During this time, Patel and Gandhi formed a close bond based on trust and candour.
The two talked about social and political concerns during their conversation. Despite their differences, Patel appreciated Gandhi's leadership and gut intuition. Gandhi even gave Patel lessons in Sanskrit.
With regard to the adoption of socialism, Patel clashed with Nehru.
In 1938, Patel organised opposition to then-Congress president Subhas Chandra Bose's attempts to depart from Gandhi's teachings of nonviolent resistance.
While Patel had disagreements with Bose, he led a protest that ended in Bose's resignation.
In 1940, he took part in Gandhi's appeal for civil disobedience and was arrested and imprisoned for nine months. Additionally, he was against the 1942 Cripps Mission, which aimed to gain Indian support for the war effort.
As a prominent leader of the INC, he was at the forefront of the national battle for independence and was instrumental in the merger of the Indian Union.
As a conservative member of Congress, he was respectfully referred to as 'Sardar' in India and across the world, with people addressing him as chief.
According to historians, Patel's statement was crucial in overcoming nationalists' scepticism towards the uprising.
He was arrested again on August 9 and imprisoned at the Ahmednagar Fort from 1942 until 1945, together with the whole Congress Working Committee.
In 1946, Indian provincial elections were held, and the Congress gained a huge majority of seats dominated by Hindu voters, while the Muslim League won a significant majority of seats represented by the Muslim electorate.
In 1940, the League of Nations resolved to demand Pakistan, a separate state for Muslims. Except for Sindh, Punjab, and Bengal, where it formed coalitions with other parties, Congress formed governments everywhere.
Patel supported India's partition as a solution to the developing Muslim separatist movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
In a sovereign, independent India, he served as both the Union's first Home Minister (from 1947 to 1950) as well as the first Deputy Prime Minister.
His tenure as Home Minister was critical in the aftermath of the 1947 Indo-Pak war, which also saw India's political integration.
He coordinated relief efforts for Partition refugees who arrived in Delhi and Punjab from Pakistan, and he launched peace-making activities.
In order to construct a united India, he incorporated various colonial provinces that had the designation of "Dominion of India."
In addition, the Indian Independence Act of 1947 liberated around 565 self-governing princely kingdoms from British suzerainty.
With Patel's persuasion, nearly every princely state acceded to India.
Integration of some states demanded a hard hand, and so the 'Iron Man of India' remained firm in his quest to unite this country.
Patel is also known as the "patron saint of India's civil servants" for establishing the All India Services system, which is India's "steel frame."
In his memory, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government erected the 182 metres (597 ft) Statue of Unity in 2018. This is the world's tallest statue, which cost $420 million to construct.
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