On the occasion of the 146th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday paid floral tributes to the First Deputy Prime Minister of independent India at his statue at Sardar Patel Chowk in the national capital.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders also reached the Parliament House to pay floral tributes to Sardar Patel.
"Paid tributes to Sardar Patel at the Parliament House on his jayanti. His contribution in India's freedom struggle and ensuring the unity and integrity of our country will always be remembered," tweeted the Defence Minister.
Calling Sardar Patel a 'hero' who united the country, Singh said he will be remembered for his contributions in liberating India.
"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a hero who united the country in the thread of unity, will always be remembered for his role in liberating India and his decisive leadership. He has also contributed a lot for the construction of New India. I bow to him on the occasion of his birth anniversary," said the Defence Minister in another tweet.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad also paid tribute to Sardar Patel in Patna on the occasion of his birth anniversary today.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday presided over the 'Rashtriya Ekta Divas' (National Unity Day) program at Kevadia in Gujarat where he also paid floral tributes to Sadar Patel's 182-metre-tall statue, the tallest in the world. The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
National Unity Day is celebrated in India on October 31. It was introduced by the Central government in 2014. Sardar Patel, who is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India, passed away on December 15, 1950.
( With inputs from ANI )
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