PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah pay tribute to Sardar Patel on death anniversary

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday paid tribute to India`s first deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary. "Tributes to the great Sardar Patel on his Punya Tithi. We remain eternally inspired by his exceptional service to our nation," Modi tweeted.

Tributes to the great Sardar Patel on his Punya Tithi. We remain eternally inspired by his exceptional service to our nation.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2019

Shah said that Sardar Patel is a unique source of inspiration for all of us as he envisioned a united India. "He was truly a Bharat Ratna, who not only played an important role in independence but also pioneered the integration of the country after that," he said. 

"Motivated by Sardar Patel`s ideals and iron leadership, the Modi-led central government has created a safe and empowered India in the last five years by eliminating corruption, casteism and appeasement from the country. Today, we pay tribute to Sardar Patel on his death anniversary," he tweeted. 

सरदार पटेल के आदर्शों व लौह नेतृत्व से प्रेरित मोदी जी के नेतृत्व वाली केंद्र सरकार ने पिछले पांच वर्षों में देश से भ्रष्टाचार, जातिवाद और तुष्टिकरण को समाप्त कर एक सुरक्षित और सशक्त भारत बनाया है।
आज सरदार पटेल जी की पुण्यतिथि पर माँ भारती के ऐसे महान सपूत को कोटि-कोटि वंदन।

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 15, 2019

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was an Indian barrister, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and a founding father of the Republic of India who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation. In India and elsewhere, he was often called Sardar, meaning "chief" in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He acted as Home Minister during the political integration of India and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

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.