EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

  • Born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat, Vallabhbhai Patel pursued law studies in England, returning to India in 1913. 
  • His encounter with Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad transformed him into a fervent follower of the freedom movement.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: A Champion of Civil Disobedience and Unwavering Resolve

  • Champion of Civil Disobedience:
    • Patel played a pivotal role in campaigns like the Kheda Satyagraha (1918) and Bardoli Satyagraha (1928). 
    • His organizing skills and dedication earned him the title ‘Sardar’, reflecting his leadership qualities. 
    • He embraced Gandhi’s principles, leading various movements against unjust taxes and governmental oppression.
  • Quit India Movement and Incarceration
    • During the Quit India Movement (1942), Patel was at the forefront, advocating for India’s complete independence. Despite imprisonment, his resolve remained unshaken.

Vallabhbhai Patel: Forging India’s Political Unity and Administrative Strength

  • Integration of Princely States:
    • After India’s independence, Patel faced the daunting task of integrating more than 565 princely states into the Indian Union. His persuasive diplomacy and, when necessary, forceful measures ensured that states like Junagadh and Hyderabad joined India, preserving national unity.

Sardar Patel’s Role in the Unification of Princely States in India

  • Large States with Princely Control: Princely States were several large and small states in British India ruled by Princes with some form of control over their internal affairs as long as they accepted British supremacy. 
  • Extent: They (565 in number) covered one-third of the land area of the British Indian Empire and one out of four Indians lived under princely rule. 
    • Just before Independence, the British gave the right to join either India or Pakistan or remain independent to the people of princely states. 
  • Leadership: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Home Minister in the interim government, was responsible for unifying these Princely States to create a united country I.e. India. 
  • Integration of Princely States: He played a crucial role in integrating the princely states in India. 

Sardar Patel’s Strategic Diplomacy: Integrating Princely States into the Indian Union

  • JawaharLal Nehru asked him to integrate the princely states and with the help of VP Menon, Patel drafted an instrument of accession to be signed by the rulers. 
  • By signing the instrument, the princely states agreed to hand over control of defence, foreign affairs, and communications to the Union government.
  • Patel also introduced the idea of ‘privy purses,’ making payments to the royal families in lieu of their joining India. 
  • Through his statesmanship, negotiations with princely states through diplomacy and real politics, Sardar Patel managed to bring nearly all of the princely states under the India Union.
  • Most of the states joined India, however, some states like Travancore and Bhopal were still hesitant to join India and the Constituent Assembly.

Hyderabad: 

  • When the Nizam of Hyderabad was contemplating either remaining independent or joining Pakistan, Patel sent a contingent of troops into the state to support the freedom struggle going on in the state against the Nizam. 
  • Within four days, India had control of Hyderabad.

Jodhpur: 

  • The Prince of Jodhpur wanted to join Pakistan
  • When Patel was informed of the situation, he immediately offered several benefits to get the Prince to accede to India.

Junagadh: 

  • The Nawab of Junagadh had accepted Pakistan’s offer. 
  • As the locals revolted against the Nawab, he fled to Karachi
  • Patel then requested Pakistan to allow organizing a plebiscite in Junagadh
  • He later sent troops to force the annexation of its three principalities. 
  • The Dewan of Junagadh was forced to accede to India. 
  • A plebiscite was held, where 91 percent of the population voted to remain in India.

Kashmir: 

  • The Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, was reluctant to join either India or Pakistan. 
  • When armed tribesmen from Pakistan entered Kashmir, the Maharaja appealed to India for help. Patel and Nehru agreed to send in help if Singh signed the instrument of accession. 
  • Thus, Kashmir was included in the Union of India.

Manipur: 

  • It became a constitutional monarchy in 1948
  • In the Legislative Assembly of Manipur there were sharp differences over the question of merger of Manipur with India. 
  • The Maharaja Bodhchandra was pressured by the government of India to sign the instrument of accession.
  • All India Services: The Steel Frame of India:
    • Recognizing the need for a robust administrative structure, Patel conceptualized and established the All-India Services. 
    • He emphasized the importance of service, impartiality, and integrity among civil servants, viewing them as essential to the nation’s progress.

Vallabhbhai Patel: Pioneering Self-Reliance and Sustainable Economic Growth

  • Self-Reliance and Industrialization:
    • Patel advocated for self-reliance, emphasizing rapid industrialization to reduce dependence on foreign resources. 
    • He championed cooperative movements, notably the formation of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, revolutionizing India’s dairy sector.
  • Investment-Led Growth:
    • Patel stressed investment-led growth, urging citizens to save, spend judiciously, and invest for prosperity. 
    • He believed in motivating laborers through incentives and economic growth rather than solely focusing on wealth distribution.

Vallabhbhai Patel’s Legacy: The Symbol of Unity and National Integration

  • Statue of Unity
    • To honor Patel’s monumental contributions, the ‘Statue of Unity’ was unveiled on October 31, 2018, standing tall at 182 meters. 
    • This iconic statue serves as a testament to Patel’s unwavering resolve and his pivotal role in shaping a united India.
  • National Unity Day
    • Since 2014, October 31st is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) to celebrate Patel’s vision of a unified India. 
    • His legacy continues to inspire, reminding the nation of the strength derived from unity and integrity.

Statue of Unity: A Monument to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Legacy

  • Honoring: The statue of unity was built in honour of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
  • Location: It was inaugurated by the Prime Minister at Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat in 2018 on the 143rd anniversary of Patel.
  • Facts: It is the tallest statue in the world and it is located on Sadhu Bet Island on the Narmada river.
    • Its height is 182 metres which is the same as the number of constituencies in Gujarat.
    • It is 23 metres taller than China’s spring temple Buddha statue and almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty (93 metres) tall in the United states.
    • The statue was designed by Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar.
  • Nomenclature: As Sardar Patel is credited with uniting over 560 princely states in pre independent India to build the Republic of India, the name of the statue is named as statue of unity. 
  • The statue is made to appear as though it is walking on water by having its left leg slightly in front as it goes towards the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the first Prime Minister of India?

In the AICC Session of 15th January 1942 held at Wardha, Gandhiji formally designated Jawaharlal Nehru as his political successor. In Gandhiji’s own words “… not Rajaji, not Sardar Vallabhabhai, but Jawaharlal will be my successor…When I am gone, he will speak my language”.

Thus, it can be seen that it was none other than Gandhiji who wanted Nehru to lead India, apart from the masses. Patel always listened and obeyed Gandhi – who himself had no political ambitions in free India.

However, for the post of Congress Presidentship in 1946, Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) had a different choice – Patel. Even though Nehru had a great mass appeal, and a broader vision about the world, 12 out of 15 PCCs favoured Patel as Congress President. Patel’s qualities – as a great executive, organizer and leader – were widely appreciated.

When Nehru came to know about the PCCs choice, he remained silent. Mahatma Gandhi felt that “Jawaharlal will not take second place”, and he asked Patel to withdraw his nomination for Congress President. Patel, as always, obeyed Gandhi. Nehru took over as Congress President for a short period of time in 1946, before handing over the responsibility to J.B.Kriplani.

For Nehru, the Prime Ministership of Free India was just an extension of his role in the interim cabinet.

It was Jawaharlal Nehru who headed the interim government of India from 2nd September 1946 to 15th August 1947. Nehru was the Vice-President of the Viceroy’s Executive Council with powers of the Prime Minister. Vallabhbhai Patel held the second-most powerful position in the Council, heading the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Information and Broadcasting.

On August 1, 1947, two weeks before India became independent, Nehru wrote to Patel a letter asking him to join the cabinet. Nehru, however, indicated that he already consider Patel as the strongest pillar of the Cabinet. Patel replied guaranteeing unquestioned loyalty and devotion. He had also mentioned that their combination is unbreakable and therein lies their strength.

Nehru and Patel

Nehru and Patel was a rare combination. They complemented each other. The two great leaders of the Indian National Congress had mutual admiration and respect. There were differences in approach – but the end goal for both was to find what is best for India.

The differences of opinion were mostly regarding the Congress hierarchy, working style, or ideologies. Within Congress – Nehru was widely considered Left-wing (socialism) while Patel’s ideologies were aligned with the Right-wing (capitalism).

There were differences in the choice of Congress presidential candidates in 1950 between Nehru and Patel. Nehru supported J.B. Kriplani. Patel’s choice was Purushottam Das Tandon. In the end, Kriplani was defeated by Patel’s candidate Purushottam Das Tandon.

However, it should be noted that the differences were never big enough to result in a major split in Congress or the Government.

Gandhi and Patel

Patel was always loyal to Gandhi. However, he differed with Gandhiji on certain issues.

Following Gandhiji’s assassination, he said: “I claim to be nothing more than an obedient soldier of him like the millions who obeyed his call. There was a time when everyone used to call me his blind follower. But, both he and I knew that I followed him because our convictions tallied”.

Patel and Somnath Temple

On November 13, 1947, Sardar Patel, the then Deputy Prime Minister of India, vowed to rebuild Somnath Temple. Somnath had been destroyed and built several times in the past. He felt that the story of its resurrection from ruins this time would be symbolic of the story of the resurgence of India.

Sardar Patel’s Economic Ideas

Self-reliance was among the chief tenets of Patel’s economic philosophy. He wanted to see India industrialise quickly. The imperative was to reduce dependence on external resources.

Patel guided the cooperative movements in Gujarat and helped in setting up of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union which proved to be a game-changer for dairy farming throughout the country.

Sardar was unimpressed with the slogans raised for socialism and spoke often of the need for India to create wealth before debating over what to do with it, how to share it.

The role he envisaged for the government was that of a welfare state but realised that other countries had taken up the task at more advanced stages of development.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel rejected nationalisation completely and was against controls. To him, the profit motive was a great stimulant to exertion, not a stigma.

Patel was against people remaining idle. In 1950 he said, “Millions of idle hands that have no work cannot find employment on machines”. He urged labourers to participate in creating wealth before claiming a just share.

Sardar championed investment-led growth. He said, “Spend less, save more, and invest as much as possible should be the motto of every citizen.

Was Patel against the partition of British India – into India and Pakistan?

Sardar in his early years opposed the partition of British India. However, he accepted the division of India by December 1946. Many including VP Menon and Abul Kalam Azad felt that Patel was more receptive to the idea of Partition than Nehru.

Abul Kalam Azad was a staunch critic of Partition right till the very end, however, that was not the case with Patel and Nehru. Azad in his memoir India wins Freedom says that he was ‘surprised and pained when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in reply to why Partition was needed said that ‘whether we liked it or not, there were two nations in India’.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel passed away on December 15, 1950. His legacy endures through his contributions to nation-building and his vision of a unified India. The Statue of Unity, unveiled in 2018, stands as a tribute to his efforts and ideals. Patel is remembered as a leader who prioritized national integrity and unity above all.







POSTED ON 25-12-2024 BY ADMIN
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