Vallabhbhai Patel: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Indian barrister and politician (1875–1950)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

| governor_general    = [[Louis Mountbatten]]<br />[[Chakravarti Rajagopalachari]]

| caption            = Patel in 1949

| office              = 1st [[Deputy Prime Minister of India]]  

| office2             = 1st [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]]

| prime_minister2    = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]

| predecessor2       = Position established

| president2         = [[Rajendra Prasad]]

| governor_general2   = [[Louis Mountbatten]]

| successor2         = [[C. Rajagopalachari]]

| birth_place        = [[Nadiad]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]

| death_place        = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[Bombay State]], India

| death_cause        = [[Heart attack]]

| nationality        =  

| spouse              = {{marriage|Jhaverben Patel|1891|1909|reason=died}}

| children            = [[Maniben Patel]]<br />[[Dahyabhai Patel]]

| profession          = {{hlist|[[Barrister]]|Politician|Activist|[[Freedom Fighter]]}}

| awards              = [[Bharat Ratna]] (1991) (posthumously)

| term_start2         = 15 August 1947

| term_end2           = 15 December 1950

<!-- Wikipedia article starts with subject's legal name, don't add Sardar since it is not part of his legal name, instead it's a honorary title. -->

'''Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel''' ({{IPA-gu|ʋəlːəbːʰɑi dʒʰəʋeɾbʰɑi pəʈel|lang}}; {{Respell|pə|TEL}}; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), endeared as '''Sardar''',{{Efn|[[Sardar]] is a title of nobility that has been used to denote a chief or leader of a tribe or group.}} was an Indian statesman. He served as the first deputy [[Prime Minister of India]] from 1947 to 1950. He was a [[barrister]] and a senior leader of the [[Indian National Congress]], who played a leading role in the country's [[Indian independence movement|struggle for independence]], guiding its [[Political integration of India|integration]] into a united, independent nation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 October 2017 |title=How Vallabhbhai Patel, V P Menon and Mountbatten unified India |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/research/how-vallabhbhai-patel-v-p-menon-and-mountbatten-unified-india-4915468/}}</ref> He was one of the conservative members of the [[Indian National Congress]]. In India and elsewhere, he was often called ''[[Sardar]]'', meaning "chief" in [[Hindi]], [[Urdu]], and [[Persian language|Persian]]. He acted as [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Home Minister]] during the political integration of India and the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]].<ref name="biooff">{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Rajmohan |title=Patel: a life (Biography) |publisher=navjivan trust}}</ref>

As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised relief efforts for [[Partition of India|partition]] refugees fleeing to [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Delhi]] from [[Pakistan]] and worked to restore peace. He led the task of forging a united India, successfully integrating into the newly independent nation those [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British colonial provinces]] that formed the [[Dominion of India]].<ref name="originalarchive">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=V.P. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12887/page/n8 |title=Original first edition with maps – The story of the integration of the Indian states |date=15 September 1955 |publisher=Longmans Green and Co |edition=First |location=Bangalore |access-date=22 March 2019}}</ref> Besides those provinces that had been under direct British rule, approximately 565 self-governing [[princely states]] had been released from British [[suzerainty]] by the [[Indian Independence Act 1947|Indian Independence Act of 1947]]. Patel persuaded almost every princely state to accede to India. His commitment to national integration in the newly independent country was total and uncompromising, earning him the sobriquet "Iron Man of India".<ref>{{Citation |title=PM Modi pays rich tribute to 'iron man' Sardar Patel on his 141st birth anniversary |date=31 October 2016 |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-pays-rich-tribute-to-iron-man-sardar-patel-on-his-141st-birth-anniversary-3730221 |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> He is also remembered as the "patron saint of India's civil servants" for having established the modern [[All India Services]] system. He is also called the "Unifier of India".<ref name="financialexpress1">{{Citation |title=Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to India's 'Iron Man' on his 141st birth anniversary |date=31 October 2016 |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/prime-minister-narendra-modi-pays-tribute-to-indias-iron-man-on-his-141st-birth-anniversary/434368 |work=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]]}}</ref> The ''[[Statue of Unity]]'', the world's tallest statue, was dedicated to him on 31 October 2018 and is approximately {{convert|182|m|ft}} in height.<ref>{{Citation |title=India unveils the world's tallest statue |date=31 October 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46028342/ |work=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

==Early life==

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel,<ref>{{Cite web|date=1970–1979|title=Vallabhai Patel|url=https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Vallabhai+Patel|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|publisher=[[The Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]|edition=3rd}}</ref><ref>{{Britannica|446269|Vallabhbhai Patel|David Argov}}</ref> one of the six children of Jhaverbhai Patel and Ladba, was born in [[Nadiad]], Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |url=https://www.inc.in/en/our-inspiration/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel |access-date=7 October 2019 |website=Indian National Congress}}</ref> Patel's date of birth was never officially recorded; Patel entered it as 31 October on his [[matriculation]] examination papers.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=3}} He belonged to the [[Leuva Patel|Leva Patel]] Patidar community of Central Gujarat, although after his fame, the [[Leva Patel]] and [[Kadava Patidar]] have also claimed him as one of their own.<ref>{{cite news |title=Community power: how the Patels hold sway over Gujarat |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/community-power-how-the-patels-hold-sway-over-gujarat/story-WejgSajNL5YcxA3rUf8ajK.html |access-date=20 April 2021 |work=Hindustan Times |date=1 December 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

==Fight for self-rule==

===Satyagraha in Gujarat===

Patel's elder brother [[Vithalbhai Patel]], died in Geneva on 22 October 1933.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

===Quit India movement===

While Nehru, Rajagopalachari, and [[Maulana Azad]] initially criticised Gandhi's proposal for an all-out campaign of civil disobedience to force the British to grant Indian independence, Patel was its most fervent supporter. Arguing that the British would retreat from India as they had from [[Singapore]] and [[Burma under British rule|Burma]], Patel urged that the campaign start without any delay.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=447–479}} Though feeling that the British would not leave immediately, Patel favoured an all-out rebellion that would galvanise the Indian people, who had been divided in their response to the war, In Patel's view, such a rebellion would force the British to concede that continuation of colonial rule had no support in India, and thus speed the transfer of power to Indians.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=311–312}} Believing strongly in the need for revolt, Patel stated his intention to resign from the Congress if the revolt were not approved.{{sfn|Nandurkar|1981|p=301}} Gandhi strongly pressured the [[All India Congress Committee]] to approve an all-out campaign of civil disobedience, and the AICC approved the campaign on 7 August 1942. Though Patel's health had suffered during his stint in jail, he gave emotional speeches to large crowds across India,{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=313}} asking them to refuse to pay taxes and to participate in civil disobedience, mass protests, and a shutdown of all civil services. He raised funds and prepared a second tier of command as a precaution against the arrest of national leaders.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=474–477}} Patel made a climactic speech to more than 100,000 people gathered at [[Gowalia Tank]] in Bombay on 7 August:

==Integration after Independence and role of Patel==

As the first Home Minister, Patel played the key role in the integration of the princely states into the Indian federation.<ref name="autogenerated65">{{cite journal |author=Buta Singh |title=Role of Sardar Patel in the Integration of Indian States |journal=Calcutta Historical Journal |date=Jul–Dec 2008 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=65–78}}</ref> In the elections, the Congress won a large majority of the elected seats, dominating the Hindu electorate. But the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] led by [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] won a large majority of Muslim electorate seats.{{when|date=September 2019}} The League had resolved in 1940 to demand [[Pakistan]]{{snd}}an independent state for Muslims{{snd}}and was a fierce critic of the Congress. The Congress formed governments in all provinces save [[Sindh]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], and [[Bengal]], where it entered into coalitions with other parties.

===Cabinet mission and partition===

After Gandhi rejected and Congress approved the plan, Patel represented India on the Partition Council,{{sfn|Balraj Krishna|2007|p=87}}{{sfn|Menon|1997|p=397}} where he oversaw the division of public assets, and selected the Indian council of ministers with Nehru.{{sfn|Syed|2010|p=18}} However, neither Patel nor any other Indian leader had foreseen the intense violence and population transfer that would take place with partition. Patel took the lead in organising relief and emergency supplies, establishing refugee camps, and visiting the border areas with Pakistani leaders to encourage peace. Despite these efforts, the death toll is estimated at between 500,000 and 1&nbsp;million people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=French, Patrick |title=Liberty and Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1997 |location=London |pages=347–349 |author-link=Patrick French}}</ref> The estimated number of refugees in both countries exceeds 15&nbsp;million.<ref name="consequences">{{Cite web |last="Postcolonial Studies" project |first=Department of English, Emory University |title=The Partition of India |url=http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Part.html}}</ref> Understanding that Delhi and Punjab policemen, accused of organising attacks on Muslims, were personally affected by the tragedies of partition, Patel called out the [[Indian Army]] with South Indian regiments to restore order, imposing strict curfews and shoot-at-sight orders. Visiting the [[Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah]] area in Delhi, where thousands of Delhi Muslims feared attacks, he prayed at the shrine, visited the people, and reinforced the presence of police. He suppressed from the press reports of atrocities in Pakistan against Hindus and [[Sikh]]s to prevent retaliatory violence. Establishing the [[Delhi Emergency Committee]] to restore order and organising relief efforts for refugees in the capital, Patel publicly warned officials against partiality and neglect. When reports reached Patel that large groups of Sikhs were preparing to attack Muslim convoys heading for Pakistan, Patel hurried to [[Amritsar]] and met Sikh and Hindu leaders. Arguing that attacking helpless people was cowardly and dishonourable, Patel emphasised that Sikh actions would result in further attacks against Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan. He assured the community leaders that if they worked to establish peace and order and guarantee the safety of Muslims, the Indian government would react forcefully to any failures of Pakistan to do the same. Additionally, Patel addressed a massive crowd of approximately 200,000 refugees who had surrounded his car after the meetings:

===Political integration of India===

Patel took charge of the integration of the princely states into India.<ref name="autogenerated65" /> This achievement formed the cornerstone of Patel's popularity in the post-independence era. Even today he is remembered as the man who united India. He is, in this regard, compared to [[Otto von Bismarck]] who unified the many German states in 1871.{{sfn|Balraj Krishna|2007}} Under the plan of 3 June, more than 565 princely states were given the option of joining either India or Pakistan, or choosing independence. Indian nationalists and large segments of the public feared that if these states did not accede, most of the people and territory would be fragmented. The Congress, as well as senior British officials, considered Patel the best man for the task of achieving conquest of the princely states by the Indian dominion. Gandhi had said to Patel, "[T]he problem of the States is so difficult that you alone can solve it".{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=406}} Patel was considered a statesman of integrity with the practical acumen and resolve to accomplish a monumental task. He asked V.{{nbsp}}P.{{nbsp}}Menon, a senior civil servant with whom he had worked on the partition of India, to become his right-hand man as chief secretary of the States Ministry. On 6 August 1947, Patel began lobbying the princes, attempting to make them receptive towards dialogue with the future government and forestall potential conflicts. Patel used social meetings and unofficial surroundings to engage most of the monarchs, inviting them to lunch and tea at his home in Delhi. At these meetings, Patel explained that there was no inherent conflict between the Congress and the princely order. Patel invoked the patriotism of India's monarchs, asking them to join in the independence of their nation and act as responsible rulers who cared about the future of their people. He persuaded the princes of 565 states of the impossibility of independence from the Indian republic, especially in the presence of growing opposition from their subjects. He proposed favourable terms for the merger, including the creation of ''[[Privy Purse in India|privy purses]]'' for the rulers' descendants. While encouraging the rulers to act out of patriotism, Patel did not rule out force. Stressing that the princes would need to accede to India in good faith, he set a deadline of 15 August 1947 for them to sign the instrument of accession document. All but three of the states willingly merged into the Indian union; only [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Junagadh State|Junagadh]], and [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad]] did not fall into his basket.{{sfn|Syed|2010|p=21}}

==Leading India==

===Father of All India Services===

He was also instrumental in the creation of the [[All India Services]] which he described as the country's "Steel Frame". In his address to the probationers of these services, he asked them to be guided by the spirit of service in day-to-day administration. He reminded them that the ICS was no-longer neither Imperial, nor civil, nor imbued with any spirit of service after Independence. His exhortation to the probationers to maintain utmost impartiality and incorruptibility of administration is as relevant today as it was then. "A civil servant cannot afford to, and must not, take part in politics. Nor must he involve himself in communal wrangles. To depart from the path of rectitude in either of these respects is to debase public service and to lower its dignity," he had cautioned them on 21 April 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Naidu |first=M Venkaiah |author-link=Venkaiah Naidu |date=31 October 2017 |title=The great unifier |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel-birth-anniversary-india-narendra-modi-bjp-4914433/ |access-date=21 January 2018 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |oclc=70274541}}</ref>

He, more than anyone else in post-independence India, realised the crucial role that civil services play in administering a country, in not merely maintaining law and order, but running the institutions that provide the binding cement to a society. He, more than any other contemporary of his, was aware of the needs of a sound, stable administrative structure as the lynchpin of a functioning polity. The present-day all-India administrative services owe their origin to the man's sagacity and thus he is regarded as Father of modern [[All India Services]].<ref name="One Who Forged India’s Steel Frame">{{Cite web |title=One Who Forged India's Steel Frame |url=http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=15210 |access-date=15 November 2016 |publisher=H.N. Bali}}</ref>

==Gandhi's death and relations with Nehru==

[[File:Gandhi and Nehru 1942.jpg|thumb|[[Mahatma Gandhi]] sitting with [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in 1942; Nehru would later serve as the first [[Prime Minister of India]]]]  

Patel was intensely loyal to Gandhi, and both he and Nehru looked to him to arbitrate disputes. However, Nehru and Patel sparred over national issues.<ref name="google88">{{Cite book |last=Jivanta Schoettli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=376oAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 |title=Vision and Strategy in Indian Politics: Jawaharlal Nehru's Policy Choices and the Designing of Political Institutions |publisher=Routledge |year=2011 |isbn=9781136627873 |page=88}}</ref> When Nehru asserted control over Kashmir policy, Patel objected to Nehru's sidelining his home ministry's officials.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=459}} Nehru was offended by Patel's decision-making regarding the states' integration, having consulted neither him nor the Cabinet. Patel asked Gandhi to relieve him of his obligation to serve, believing that an open political battle would hurt India. After much personal deliberation and contrary to Patel's prediction, Gandhi on 30 January 1948 told Patel not to leave the government. A free India, according to Gandhi, needed both Patel and Nehru. Patel was the last man to privately talk with Gandhi, who was assassinated just minutes after Patel's departure.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=467}} At Gandhi's wake, Nehru and Patel embraced each other and addressed the nation together. Patel gave solace to many associates and friends and immediately moved to forestall any possible violence.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=467–469}} Within two months of Gandhi's death, Patel suffered a major heart attack; the timely action of his daughter, his secretary, and a nurse saved Patel's life. Speaking later, Patel attributed the attack to the grief bottled up due to Gandhi's death.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=472–473}}

Nehru gave Patel a free hand in integrating the princely states into India.<ref name="autogenerated65" /> Though the two committed themselves to joint leadership and non-interference in Congress party affairs, they sometimes would criticise each other in matters of policy, clashing on the issues of Hyderabad's integration and UN mediation in Kashmir. Nehru declined Patel's counsel on sending assistance to [[Tibet]] after its [[Invasion of Tibet (1950–1951)|1950 invasion]] by the People's Republic of China and on ejecting the Portuguese from [[Goa]] by military force.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=508–512}} Nehru also tried to scuttle Patel's plan with regards to Hyderabad. During a meeting, according to the then civil servant MKK Nair in his book ''With No Ill Feeling to Anybody'', Nehru shouted and accused Patel of being a communalist.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} Patel also, on one occasion, called Nehru a Muslim.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahmad |first=Irfan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5De09u2P_JYC&q=there%20is%20one%20one%20nationalist%20muslim%20in%20india%20nehru%20patel&pg=PA18 |title=Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation of Jamaat-e-Islami |date=21 September 2009 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691139203 |language=en}}</ref>

==Ban on RSS==

  |quote  = ''The other is the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|R.S.S.]] I have made them an open offer.  Change your plans, give up secrecy, respect the Constitution of India, show your loyalty to the ([[National Flag of India|National) Flag]] and make us believe that we can trust your words. Whether they are friends or foes, and even if they are our own dear children, we are not going to allow them to play with fire so that the house may be set on fire. It would be criminal to allow young men to indulge in acts of violence and destruction.''.

  |source = {{small|Speaking on RSS, during a public speech.}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patel |first1=Vallabhbhai |title=Sardar Patel, in Tune with the Millions |year=1975 |publisher=Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Smarak Bhavan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4wCAAAAMAAJ |access-date=16 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nandurkar |first1=G M |title=This Was Sardar The Commemorative Volume Vol 3 |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.110517/2015.110517.This-Was-Sardar-The-Commemorative-Volume-Vol-3_djvu.txt |access-date=16 January 2021 |date=1965}}</ref>

In January 1948, [[Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated]] by [[Nathuram Godse]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jha|first=Dhirendra K. |date=1 January 2020 |title=Historical records expose the lie that Nathuram Godse left the RSS |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/historical-record-expose-lie-godse-left-rss|website=The Caravan}}</ref> Following the assassination, many prominent leaders of the RSS were arrested, and the RSS as an organisation was banned on 4 February 1948 by the then Home Minister Patel. During the court proceedings in relation to the assassination Godse began claiming that he had left the organisation in 1946.<ref name="IAR">{{cite book |author= Gerald James Larson |title= India's Agony Over Religion |publisher= [[State University of New York Press]] |year= 1995 |page= 132 |isbn= 0-7914-2412-X}}</ref> The then Indian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Vallabhbhai Patel had remarked that the "RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhi's death".{{sfn|Singh|2015|p=82}}

The charged RSS leaders were acquitted of the conspiracy charge by the [[Supreme Court of India]]. Following his release in August 1948, Golwalkar wrote to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to lift the ban on RSS. After Nehru replied that the matter was the responsibility of the Home Minister, Golwalkar consulted Vallabhai Patel regarding the same. Patel then demanded an absolute pre-condition that the RSS adopt a formal written constitution<ref name="PLJ100">{{cite book |last1=Panicker |first1=P L John |title=Gandhian approach to communalism in contemporary India |page=100 |url=https://sg.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/7178/9/09_chapter%202.pdf#page=79 |access-date=6 November 2019}}</ref> and make it public, where Patel expected RSS to pledge its loyalty to the [[Constitution of India]], accept the Tricolor as the [[National Flag]] of India, define the power of the head of the organisation, make the organisation democratic by holding internal elections, authorisation of their parents before enrolling the pre-adolescents into the movement, and to renounce violence and secrecy.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|1996|pp=88, 89}}{{sfn|Graham|2007 |p=14}}<ref name="Noorani2000">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6PnBFW7cdtsC&pg=PT42|title=The RSS and the BJP: A Division of Labour |author=Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani |publisher=LeftWord Books|year=2000 |isbn=978-81-87496-13-7 |pages=28–<!--URL points tp page 28, not 42-->}}</ref>

On 11 July 1949 the Government of India lifted the ban on the RSS by issuing a communique stating that the decision to lift the ban on the RSS had been taken in view of the RSS leader Golwalkar's undertaking to make the group's loyalty towards the Constitution of India and acceptance and respect towards the National Flag of India more explicit in the Constitution of the RSS, which was to be worked out in a democratic manner.<ref name="Curran1950">{{cite journal |first1=Jean A. |last1=Curran |jstor=3023941 |title=The RSS: Militant Hinduism |journal=Far Eastern Survey |volume=19 |pages=93–98 |number=10 |date= 17 May 1950 |doi=10.2307/3023941}}</ref><ref name="Noorani2000" />

==Final years==

==Death==

Patel's health declined rapidly through the summer of 1950. He later began coughing blood, whereupon [[Maniben Patel|Maniben]] began limiting his meetings and working hours and arranged for a personalised medical staff to begin attending to Patel. The [[Chief Minister of West Bengal]] and doctor [[Bidhan Roy]] heard Patel make jokes about his impending end, and in a private meeting Patel frankly admitted to his ministerial colleague [[N. V. Gadgil]] that he was not going to live much longer. Patel's health worsened after 2 November, when he began losing consciousness frequently and was confined to his bed. He was flown to Bombay on 12 December on advice from Dr{{nbsp}}Roy, to recuperate as his condition was deemed critical.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=530}} Nehru, Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad, and Menon all came to see him off at the airport in Delhi. Patel was extremely weak and had to be carried onto the aircraft in a chair. In Bombay, large crowds gathered at [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Santacruz Airport]] to greet him. To spare him from this stress, the aircraft landed at [[Juhu Aerodrome]], where Chief Minister [[B. G. Kher]] and [[Morarji Desai]] were present to receive him with a car belonging to the Governor of Bombay that took Vallabhbhai to Birla House.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=532}}<ref name="kp99">{{Cite book |last=Pran Nath Chopra |first=Vallabhbhai Patel |title=The collected works of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Volume 15 |publisher=Konark Publishers |year=1999 |isbn=978-8122001785 |pages=195, 290}}</ref>

In homage to Patel, Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] declared a week of national mourning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Mourning for Sardar Patel's Death |website=Press Information Bureau, Government of India |url=http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-12-15_617.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808193914/http://pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_38/ACC%20NO%20807-BR/HOM-1950-12-15_617.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Patel's [[cremation]] was planned at [[Girgaum Chowpatty]], but this was changed to Sonapur (now Marine Lines) when his daughter conveyed that it was his wish to be cremated like a common man in the same place as his wife and brother were earlier cremated.  His cremation in Sonapur in Bombay was attended by a crowd of one million including Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], Rajagopalachari and President [[Rajendra Prasad]].<ref name=kp99/><ref name="vpsb74">{{Cite book |last=Vallabhbhai Patel |first=Manibahen Patel |title=This was Sardar: the commemorative volume Volume 1 of Birth-centenary |publisher=Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Smarak Bhavan |year=1974 |page=38}}</ref>{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=533}}

==Reception==

===Nehru and Patel===

Patel had long been the rival of Nehru for party leadership, but Nehru usually prevailed over the older man, who died in 1950.<ref name="google88" /> Subsequently, [[J. R. D. Tata]], the Industrialist, [[Maulana Azad]] and several others expressed the opinion that Patel would have made a better Prime Minister for India than Nehru.{{sfn|Balraj Krishna|2007|p=193}} These Patel admirers and Nehru's critics cite Nehru's belated embrace of Patel's advice regarding the UN and Kashmir and the integration of Goa by military action and Nehru's rejection of Patel's advice on China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Rajmohan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JjPHeRd7_UYC&pg=PA316 |title=Rajaji: A Life |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=1997 |isbn=978-0140269673 |page=316}}</ref> Proponents of free enterprise cite the failings of Nehru's socialist policies as opposed to Patel's defence of property rights and his mentorship of what was to be later known as the [[Amul]] co-operative project.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heredia |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEkjpYkHrMC&pg=PA12 |title=The Amul India Story |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education |year=1997 |isbn=978-0074631607 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Desai |first=Anjali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gZRLGZNZEoEC&pg=PA197 |title=India Guide Gujarat |publisher=India Guide Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-0978951702 |page=197}}</ref> However, [[A. G. Noorani]], in comparing Nehru and Patel, writes that Nehru had a broader understanding of the world than Patel.<ref name="Noorani">{{Cite web |last=Noorani |first=A.G. |date=13 December 2013 |title=Patel's communalism – a documented record |url=http://www.frontline.in/cover-story/patels-communalisma-documented-record/article5389270.ece |access-date=27 June 2015 |website=Frontline |quote=Nehru was cultured and refined. Patel was coarse to a degree. Nehru had a world view. Patel was ignorant of world affairs. Nehru was great despite his serious flaws and grave failures. Patel was small and mean despite his admirable qualities.}}</ref>

==Legacy==

In his eulogy, delivered the day after Patel's death, Sir [[Girija Shankar Bajpai]], the Secretary-General of the Ministry of External Affairs, paid tribute to "a great patriot, a great administrator and a great man. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was all three, a rare combination in any historic epoch and in any country."<ref name="mourn" /> Bajpai lauded Patel for his achievements as a patriot and as an administrator, notably his vital role in securing India's stability in the aftermath of Independence and Partition:

For many decades after his death, there was a perceived lack of effort from the Government of India, the national media, and the Congress party regarding commemoration of Patel's life and work.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=ix}} Patel was posthumously awarded the [[Bharat Ratna]], India's highest civilian honour, in 1991.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8PLeQ8sM06kC&pg=PA498 Blueprint to Bluewater, the Indian Navy, 1951–65], Satyindra Singh, Lancer Publisher</ref> It was announced in 2014 that his birthday, 31 October, would become an annual national celebration known as [[Rashtriya Ekta Diwas]] (National Unity Day).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rao |first=Yogita |date=26 October 2014 |title=Most schools may skip Ekta Diwas for Diwali break |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |access-date=25 February 2015}}</ref> In 2012, Patel was ranked third in [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India's]] poll of [[the Greatest Indian]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Measure of the Man |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-measure-of-the-man/281949}}</ref>

Patel is the namesake of many public institutions in India. A major initiative to build dams, canals, and hydroelectric power plants in the [[Narmada River]] valley to provide a tri-state area with drinking water and electricity and to increase agricultural production was named the ''[[Sardar Sarovar Project|Sardar Sarovar]]''. Patel is also the namesake of the [[Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology]] in Surat, [[Sardar Patel University]], Sardar Patel High School, and the [[Sardar Patel Vidyalaya]]. India's [[Indian Police Service|national police training academy]] is also named after him.<ref>{{Citation |title=Arun Jaitely asks policemen to deploy all tools to tackle new-age crime |date=28 October 2016 |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/arun-jaitely-asks-policemen-to-deploy-all-tools-to-tackle-new-age-crime-3727146 |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref>

[[Rashtriya Ekta Diwas]] (National Unity Day) was introduced by the [[Government of India]] and inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] in 2014. The intent is to pay tribute to Patel, who was instrumental in keeping India united. It is to be celebrated on 31 October every year as annual commemoration of the birthday of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of [[Republic of India]]. The official statement for Rashtriya Ekta Diwas by the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Home Ministry]] of India cites that the National Unity Day "will provide an opportunity to re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our country."<ref>{{Citation |title=Observance of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31st October |date=24 October 2014 |url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=110785 |work=pib.nic.in |place=New Delhi |publisher=[[National Informatics Centre]] |agency=[[Press Information Bureau]]}}</ref>

National Unity Day celebrates the birthday of Patel because, during his term as [[Home Minister of India]], he is credited for the integration of over 550 independent [[Princely states of India|princely states]] into India from 1947 to 1949 by Independence Act (1947). He is known as the "[[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]]{{efn|[[Otto von Bismarck]] was known for the 1871 [[unification of Germany]].}} of India".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rao |first1=Yogita |title=Most schools may skip Ekta Diwas for Diwali break |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Most-schools-may-skip-Ekta-Diwas-for-Diwali-break/articleshow/44936240.cms |access-date=12 February 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=26 October 2014 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Government to observe Sardar Patel birth anniversary in big way |url=http://ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Government_to_observe_Sardar_Patel_birth_anniversary_in_big_way-450637/NATION/1 |access-date=12 February 2021 |work=IANS Live |date=26 October 2014}}</ref> The celebration is complemented with the speech of Prime Minister of India followed by the "Run for Unity".<ref name="financialexpress1" /> The theme for 2016 celebrations was "Integration of India".<ref>{{cite news |last1=ANI |title=Nation observes Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/nation-observes-rashtriya-ekta-diwas-on-birth-anniversary-of-sardar-vallabhbhai-patel-116103100039_1.html |access-date=12 February 2021 |work=Business Standard India |date=31 October 2016}}</ref>

===''Statue of Unity''===

The ''[[Statue of Unity]]'' is a monument dedicated to Patel, located in the Indian state of Gujarat, facing the [[Narmada Dam]], 3.2&nbsp;km away from Sadhu Bet near [[Vadodara]]. At the height of 182 metres (597 feet), it is the world's [[List of tallest statues|tallest statue]], exceeding the [[Spring Temple Buddha]] by 54 meters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=31 October 2018 |title=India unveils world's tallest statue |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46028342 |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> This statue and related structures are spread over 20000 square meters and are surrounded by an artificial lake spread across 12&nbsp;km and cost an estimated 29.8&nbsp;billion rupees ($425m).<ref name=":0" /> It was inaugurated by India's Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Patel's birth. The height of the statue in meters has been picked to match the total assembly constituencies in Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 October 2018 |title=Statue of Unity: How it compares with other renowned statues |work=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/statue-of-unity-how-it-compares-with-other-renowned-statues-1379238-2018-10-31 |access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref>

===Other institutions and monuments===

==See also==

==References==

===Citations===

* {{citation |last1=Jaffrelot |first1=Christophe |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|title=The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |year=1996 |isbn=978-1850653011}}

* {{Citation |last=Menon |first=V.P. |title=Integration of Indian States |year=1985 |publisher=Sangam Books Ltd |isbn=978-0861314652}}

* {{Citation |last=Hodson |first=H.V. |title=Great Divide; Britain, India, Pakistan |year=1997 |edition=New |publisher=Oxford University Press, US |isbn=978-0195778212}}

===Primary sources===

* Spodek, Howard. "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at 100". ''Economic and Political Weekly''  (1975): 1925–1936.  {{jstor|40740155}}.

==External links==

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[[Category:State funerals in India]]