SARDAR PATEL - BUILDER OF A STEEL STRONG INDIA*

The history of India would have been different had Sardar Patel not been the Deputy
Prime Minister when India became independent in 1947. he triumvirate! "andhi#i$ %ehru and Sardar Patel were responsible for &ivin& direction to the destiny of the country. Sardar Patel consolidated the country into one united whole in a uni'ue manner.

(orn on )ctober *1$ 1+7, at %adiad$ in the -aira district of "u#arat$ .allabh (hai Patel was the son of /averbhai "alabhai Patel $ a 0eva Patidar. Patel passed the matriculation e1amination from the %adiad 2i&h School in 1+97.

Qualities
. his class of cultivators was 3nown for their simple character$ industrious habits and strai&htforward dealin&s. .allabh (hai possessed an in&enous mind as a school boy. 2e was a rebel whose e1ceptional or&anisational abilities were reco&nised by his schoolmates and teachers. Gandhiji's Disciple he impact of "andhi#i4s personality on .allabhbhai was tremendous. It &ave him a new mission in life. he 5hamparan stru&&le wa&ed by "andhi#i had a sweepin& effect on Patel4s mind. In "andhi#i4s 5hamparan victory Patel saw the be&innin& of a new a&rarian revolution. 2is interest in politics had been 3indled$ as became abunduntly clear in the Provincial Political 5onference or&anised by the "u#arat Sabha and presided by "andhi#i at "odhara. he conference appointed a permanent committee with "andhi#i as the President and Patel as one of the secretaries. 2e became a staunch follower of "andhi#i. 6rom then on there was no loo3in& bac3. (lessed with rare 'ualities of fortitude$ inte&rity and an iron determination$ Patel played an important role in the freedom movement. Indomitable Personality It was due to his sterlin& leadership and practical vision that the peasant movement in "u#arat became a success. It was in this stru&&le that the or&anisational capacity for which Sardar Patel was famous in the whole country became visible. 2e too3 over as the nascent nation4s 2ome Minister at a very crucial #uncture in history and devoted himself whole heartedly to ensure that the country which was already partitioned$ remained intact and united. Building a Union )n the eve of their departure$ the (ritish &overnment announced that its paramountcy would lapse not only over the (ritish territory but even over the native States . his meant that as many as 78, small and bi& native States would become independent li3e India and Pa3istan. 5onse'uently$ the country would be divided into a number of small and bi& units. (efore embar3in& on this mammoth tas3$ Sardar sou&ht to ensure the stability of administration by for&in& a brid&e of faith and confidence with the9Steel 6rame9. Most of the I.5.S. officers suspected that the 5on&ress leaders$ particularly Sardar in view of his past e1periences with them$ would have no faith in the I.5.S. (ut Sardar rose to the occasion and reposed total trust in their capability to serve the nation. 2e was$ thus$ able to win their unstinted support in the endeavour of nation buildin&.

:ttempts were afoot for finalisin& the standstill a&reement with the States. It provided that the 5entral "overnment will be vested with powers of defence$ forei&n policy and communications even over the States. ravancore$ 2yderabad and some other States declared themselves soverei&n States and created hurdles in the a&reement. )n the other end$ ;innah with a view to tempt ;odhpur$ ;aisalmer and other border States made them an unconditional offer to ali&n with Pa3istan on their terms. Political Sagacity o find an amicable solution to this complicated situation$ Sardar issued a statement to the princes wherein he appealed to their sense of patriotism and reiterated that the new States department in no way$ desire to have supremacy over them. 9If at all$ any sense of supremacy is re'uired$ it would be with common understandin& and for common &ood. <e are at a momentous sta&e in the history of India. (y common endeavour$ we can raise the country to new &reatness$ while lac3 of unity will e1pose us to une1pected calamities. I hope the Indian States will realise fully that if we do not cooperate and wor3 to&ether in the &eneral interest$ anarchy and chaos will overwhelm us all &reat and small$ and lead us to total ruin9. he statement which amply reflected his statesmanship and political sa&acity$ removed whatever doubts lur3ed in the minds of the princes. here was a popular a&itation in ravancore and the State acceded to India. he %awab of (hopal could not ta3e all this but when he realised that there was no alternative$ he sent the instrument of accession duly si&ned to Sardar. : man of iron will and absolute fearlessness$ Sardar Patel tac3led the 'uestion of ,,= and odd State territories and principalities in such a strate&ic manner which left even his wildest critics in complete ama>ement. :lmost within a year he redrew the map of India with every princely State #oinin& the Indian union and thus$ formin& part of the political stream of life that was endowed with cultural unity and harmony. Intricate Situation he intricacy of the situation can perhaps be &au&ed by the fact that there were 87 small States in )rissa and 1, in the 5hattis&arh area of present Madhya Pradesh. It re'uired s3ilful diplomacy on the part of Sardar Patel to persuade them to mer&e into bi&&er$ more viable units. ?ven more tic3lish was the case of Saurashtra where there were 14 bi& States$ 119 small States and other units under different administrations totallin& +7=. he herculean tas3 of mer&in& all of them into the Saurashtra union was also accomplished by Sardar Patel. Soon$ State after State started accedin& to the Indian @nion. )ne after the other$ "walior$ Indore$ Dhar$ Dewas all accepted the advice of Sardar. Aa#putana States followed the same. he Si3hs of Pun#ab also cooperated with the mer&er.

?ven by :u&ust 1,$ 2yderabad 3ept aloof. 2ence$ 0ord Mountbatten himself started ne&otiations. :t one sta&e$ it appeared that there was a settlement but %i>am found himself helpless a&ainst the pressures of Aa>a3ars. he Aa>a3ars started harassin& the local public. hus$ when the situation went out of control$ Sardar with the consent of the "overnor "eneral initiated police action. In 1=+ hours$ the %i>am surrendered and 2yderabad acceded and mer&ed with India. he %awab of ;una&adh accepted an accession with Pa3istan. Sardar solved this comple1 problem in his own inimitable way and the %awab and his Diwan left ;una&adh for Pa3istan. hus$ the 4Ba&na4 for establishment of a united India underta3en by Sardar was completed with the mer&er of 2yderabad. Politically$ India became one and united. In the history of India stretched over a&es$ India became one and united for the first time and that too without sheddin& a drop of blood. hat was the marvel of the personality of Sardar. he sterlin& 'ualities of leadership he had shown as leader of Satya&raha$ flowered in &reater way in the administration of the country$ maintenance of law and order and ensurin& stability of the country and ma3in& it invulnerable.

Achievements: Successfully led Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli revolt against British government; elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"; elected #ongress $resident in 19%1; &as independent 'ndia's first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister; played a +ey role in political integration of 'ndia; conferred Bharat ,atna in 1991-

Sardar $atel &as popularly +no&n as 'ron )an of 'ndia- *is full name &as .allabhbhai $atel- *e played a leading role in the 'ndian freedom struggle and became the first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister of 'ndia- *e is credited &ith achieving political integration of 'ndia.allabhbhai $atel &as born on /ctober %1 10"1 in 2adiad a small village in 3u4arat- *is father

5haverbhai &as a farmer and mother 6aad Bai &as a simple lady- Sardar .allabhai's early education too+ place in Karamsad- 7hen he 4oined a school in $etlad- After t&o years he 4oined a high school in a to&n called 2adiad- *e passed his high school e8amination in 1099- Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a brilliant student throughout his schooling.allabhbhai &anted to become a barrister- 7o reali:e this ambition he had to go to ;ngland- But he did not have the financial means to even 4oin a college 'ndia- 'n those days a candidate could study in private and sit for an e8amination in 6a&- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel borro&ed boo+s from a la&yer of his ac<uaintance and studied at home- /ccasionally he attended courts of la& and listened attentively to the arguments of la&yer- .allabhbhai passed the 6a& e8amination &ith flying coloursSardar .allabhbhai $atel started his 6a& practice in 3odhra- Soon his practice flourished- *e got married to 5haberaba- 'n 19=! he got a baby daughter )aniben and in 19=1 his son (ahyabhai &as born.allabhbhai sent his elder brother .itthalbhai &ho himself &as a la&yer to ;ngland for higher studies in 6a&- $atel &as only thirty>three years old &hen his &ife died- *e did not &ish to marry again- After his brother's return .allabhbhai &ent to ;ngland- *e studied &ith single>minded devotion and stood first in the Barrister>at>6a& ;8aminationSardar $atel returned to 'ndia in 191% and started his practice in Ahmedabad- Soon he became popularAt the urging of his friends $atel contested and &on elections to become the sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad in 191"- Sardar $atel &as deeply impressed by 3andhi4i's success in #hamparan Satyagraha'n 1910 there &as a drought in the Kheda division of 3u4arat- $easants as+ed for relief from the high rate of ta8es but the British government refused- 3andhi4i too+ up peasants cause but could not devote his full time in Kheda- *e &as loo+ing for someone &ho could lead the struggle in his absence- At this point Sardar $atel volunteered to come for&ard and lead the struggle- *e gave up his lucrative legal practice and entered public life-

.allabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt ended in 1919 &hen the British government agreed to suspend collection of revenue and roll bac+ the rates- Kheda Satyagraha turned .allabhbhai $atel into a national hero- .allabhbhai supported 3andhi's 2on>#ooperation )ovement and as president of the 3u4arat #ongress helped in organi:ing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad- *e gave up his ;nglish clothes and started &earing Khadi- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel &as elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"- (uring his terms Ahmedabad &as e8tended a ma4or supply of electricity and under&ent ma4or education reforms- (rainage and sanitation systems &ere e8tended over all the city'n 1920 Bardoli 7alu+a in 3u4arat suffered from floods and famine- 'n this hour of distress the British government raised the revenue ta8es by thirty percent- Sardar $atel too+ up cudgels on behalf of the farmers and appealed to the 3overnor to reduce the ta8es- 7he 3overnor refused and the government even announced the date of the collection of the ta8es- Sardar $atel organi:ed the farmers and told them not to pay even a single pie of ta8- 7he government tried to repress the revolt but ultimately bo&ed before .allabhbhai $atel- 't &as during the struggle and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense e8citement across 'ndia that $atel &as increasingly addressed by his colleagues and follo&ers as SardarSardar $atel &as imprisoned during #ivil (isobedience )ovement in 19%=- After the signing of 3andhi> 'r&in pact in 19%1 Sardar $atel &as released and he &as elected #ongress president for its 19%1 session in Karachi- ?pon the failure of the ,ound 7able #onference in 6ondon 3andhi4i and Sardar $atel &ere arrested in 5anuary 19%2 and imprisoned in the @eravada #entral 5ail- (uring this term of imprisonment Sardar $atel and )ahatma 3andhi gre& close to one another and the t&o developed a close bond of affection trust and fran+ness &ithout reserve- Sardar $atel &as finally released in 5uly 19%!'n August 19!2 the #ongress launched the Auit 'ndia )ovement- 7he government 4ailed all the important leaders of the #ongress including .allabhai $atel- All the leaders &ere released after three years- After achieving independence on 11th of August 19!" $andit 5a&aharlal 2ehru became the first $rime )inister of independent 'ndia and Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e &as in charge of *ome Affairs 'nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of States7here &ere 191 princely states in 'ndia at that time- Some of the )ahara4as and 2a&abs &ho ruled over these &ere sensible and patriotic- But most of them &ere drun+ &ith &ealth and po&er- 7hey &ere dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British <uit 'ndia- 7hey argued that the government of free 'ndia should treat them as e<uals- Some of them &ent to the e8tent of planning to send their representatives to the ?nited 2ations /rgani:ation- $atel invo+ed the patriotism of 'ndia's monarchs as+ing them to 4oin in the freedom of their nation and act as responsible rulers &ho cared about the future of their people- *e persuaded the princes of 191 states of the impossibility of independence from the 'ndian republic especially in the presence of gro&ing opposition from their sub4ects- Bith great &isdom and political foresight he consolidated the small +ingdoms- 7he public &as &ith him- *e tac+led the 2i:am of *yderabad and the 2a&ab of 5unagarh &ho initially did not &ant to 4oin 'ndia- Sardar $atel's untiring efforts to&ards the unity of the country brought success- *e united a scattered nation &ithout much bloodshed- (ue to the achievement of this massive tas+ Sardar $atel got the title of ''ron )an'- Sardar $atel died of cardiac arrest on (ecember 11 191=- Cor his services to the nation Sardar $atel &as conferred &ith Bharat ,atna in 1991-

SARDAR PATEL - BUILDER OF A STEEL STRONG INDIA*

The history of India would have been different had Sardar Patel not been the Deputy
Prime Minister when India became independent in 1947. he triumvirate! "andhi#i$ %ehru and Sardar Patel were responsible for &ivin& direction to the destiny of the country. Sardar Patel consolidated the country into one united whole in a uni'ue manner. Formative Years (orn on )ctober *1$ 1+7, at %adiad$ in the -aira district of "u#arat$ .allabh (hai Patel was the son of /averbhai "alabhai Patel $ a 0eva Patidar. his class of cultivators was 3nown for their simple character$ industrious habits and strai&htforward dealin&s. .allabh (hai possessed an in&enous mind as a school boy. 2e was a rebel whose e1ceptional or&anisational abilities were reco&nised by his schoolmates and teachers. Patel passed the matriculation e1amination from the %adiad 2i&h School in 1+97. Patel had two ambitions to fulfil $ first to become a pleader and later a barrister. Durin& those days a matriculate could become a lawyer by ta3in& the pleaders e1amination. 2e became a pleader in 19==$ and started practisin& in "odhra. In 19=8 he shifted to (alsad$ a talu3a head'uarter$ where he practised as a criminal lawyer for nearly ei&ht years$ durin& which period he had built a name for himself as a most successful criminal lawyer. In 191=$ he left for 0ondon and #oined the Middle emple$ where he too3 an e1amination in Aoman 0aw and stood first. 2e returned to India in 191* and started practisin& as a barrister in :hmedabad $ fulfillin& his second ambition. Gandhiji's Disciple he impact of "andhi#i4s personality on .allabhbhai was tremendous. It &ave him a new mission in life. he 5hamparan stru&&le wa&ed by "andhi#i had a sweepin& effect on Patel4s mind. In "andhi#i4s 5hamparan victory Patel saw the be&innin& of a new a&rarian revolution. 2is interest in politics had been 3indled$ as became abunduntly clear in the Provincial Political 5onference or&anised by the "u#arat Sabha and presided by "andhi#i at "odhara. he conference appointed a permanent committee with "andhi#i as the President and Patel as one of the secretaries. 2e became a staunch follower of "andhi#i. 6rom then on there was no loo3in& bac3. (lessed with rare 'ualities of fortitude$ inte&rity and an iron determination$ Patel played an important role in the freedom movement. Indomitable Personality It was due to his sterlin& leadership and practical vision that the peasant movement in "u#arat became a success. It was in this stru&&le that the or&anisational capacity for

which Sardar Patel was famous in the whole country became visible. 2e too3 over as the nascent nation4s 2ome Minister at a very crucial #uncture in history and devoted himself whole heartedly to ensure that the country which was already partitioned$ remained intact and united. Building a Union )n the eve of their departure$ the (ritish &overnment announced that its paramountcy would lapse not only over the (ritish territory but even over the native States . his meant that as many as 78, small and bi& native States would become independent li3e India and Pa3istan. 5onse'uently$ the country would be divided into a number of small and bi& units. (efore embar3in& on this mammoth tas3$ Sardar sou&ht to ensure the stability of administration by for&in& a brid&e of faith and confidence with the9Steel 6rame9. Most of the I.5.S. officers suspected that the 5on&ress leaders$ particularly Sardar in view of his past e1periences with them$ would have no faith in the I.5.S. (ut Sardar rose to the occasion and reposed total trust in their capability to serve the nation. 2e was$ thus$ able to win their unstinted support in the endeavour of nation buildin&. :ttempts were afoot for finalisin& the standstill a&reement with the States. It provided that the 5entral "overnment will be vested with powers of defence$ forei&n policy and communications even over the States. ravancore$ 2yderabad and some other States declared themselves soverei&n States and created hurdles in the a&reement. )n the other end$ ;innah with a view to tempt ;odhpur$ ;aisalmer and other border States made them an unconditional offer to ali&n with Pa3istan on their terms. Political Sagacity o find an amicable solution to this complicated situation$ Sardar issued a statement to the princes wherein he appealed to their sense of patriotism and reiterated that the new States department in no way$ desire to have supremacy over them. 9If at all$ any sense of supremacy is re'uired$ it would be with common understandin& and for common &ood. <e are at a momentous sta&e in the history of India. (y common endeavour$ we can raise the country to new &reatness$ while lac3 of unity will e1pose us to une1pected calamities. I hope the Indian States will realise fully that if we do not cooperate and wor3 to&ether in the &eneral interest$ anarchy and chaos will overwhelm us all &reat and small$ and lead us to total ruin9. he statement which amply reflected his statesmanship and political sa&acity$ removed whatever doubts lur3ed in the minds of the princes. here was a popular a&itation in ravancore and the State acceded to India. he %awab of (hopal could not ta3e all this but when he realised that there was no alternative$ he sent the instrument of accession duly si&ned to Sardar.

: man of iron will and absolute fearlessness$ Sardar Patel tac3led the 'uestion of ,,= and odd State territories and principalities in such a strate&ic manner which left even his wildest critics in complete ama>ement. :lmost within a year he redrew the map of India with every princely State #oinin& the Indian union and thus$ formin& part of the political stream of life that was endowed with cultural unity and harmony. Intricate Situation he intricacy of the situation can perhaps be &au&ed by the fact that there were 87 small States in )rissa and 1, in the 5hattis&arh area of present Madhya Pradesh. It re'uired s3ilful diplomacy on the part of Sardar Patel to persuade them to mer&e into bi&&er$ more viable units. ?ven more tic3lish was the case of Saurashtra where there were 14 bi& States$ 119 small States and other units under different administrations totallin& +7=. he herculean tas3 of mer&in& all of them into the Saurashtra union was also accomplished by Sardar Patel. Soon$ State after State started accedin& to the Indian @nion. )ne after the other$ "walior$ Indore$ Dhar$ Dewas all accepted the advice of Sardar. Aa#putana States followed the same. he Si3hs of Pun#ab also cooperated with the mer&er. ?ven by :u&ust 1,$ 2yderabad 3ept aloof. 2ence$ 0ord Mountbatten himself started ne&otiations. :t one sta&e$ it appeared that there was a settlement but %i>am found himself helpless a&ainst the pressures of Aa>a3ars. he Aa>a3ars started harassin& the local public. hus$ when the situation went out of control$ Sardar with the consent of the "overnor "eneral initiated police action. In 1=+ hours$ the %i>am surrendered and 2yderabad acceded and mer&ed with India. he %awab of ;una&adh accepted an accession with Pa3istan. Sardar solved this comple1 problem in his own inimitable way and the %awab and his Diwan left ;una&adh for Pa3istan. hus$ the 4Ba&na4 for establishment of a united India underta3en by Sardar was completed with the mer&er of 2yderabad. Politically$ India became one and united. In the history of India stretched over a&es$ India became one and united for the first time and that too without sheddin& a drop of blood. hat was the marvel of the personality of Sardar. he sterlin& 'ualities of leadership he had shown as leader of Satya&raha$ flowered in &reater way in the administration of the country$ maintenance of law and order and ensurin& stability of the country and ma3in& it invulnerable. !"#rd Birth $nniversary o% Sardar Patel is being observed on &ctober #!' !(()

Born: Died:

October December

31, 15,

1875 1950

Achievements: Successfully led Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli revolt against British government; elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"; elected #ongress $resident in 19%1; &as independent 'ndia's first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister; played a +ey role in political integration of 'ndia; conferred Bharat ,atna in 1991-

Sardar $atel &as popularly +no&n as 'ron )an of 'ndia- *is full name &as .allabhbhai $atel- *e played a leading role in the 'ndian freedom struggle and became the first (eputy $rime )inister and *ome )inister of 'ndia- *e is credited &ith achieving political integration of 'ndia.allabhbhai $atel &as born on /ctober %1 10"1 in 2adiad a small village in 3u4arat- *is father

5haverbhai &as a farmer and mother 6aad Bai &as a simple lady- Sardar .allabhai's early education too+ place in Karamsad- 7hen he 4oined a school in $etlad- After t&o years he 4oined a high school in a to&n called 2adiad- *e passed his high school e8amination in 1099- Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a brilliant student throughout his schooling.allabhbhai &anted to become a barrister- 7o reali:e this ambition he had to go to ;ngland- But he did not have the financial means to even 4oin a college 'ndia- 'n those days a candidate could study in private and sit for an e8amination in 6a&- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel borro&ed boo+s from a la&yer of his ac<uaintance and studied at home- /ccasionally he attended courts of la& and listened attentively to the arguments of la&yer- .allabhbhai passed the 6a& e8amination &ith flying coloursSardar .allabhbhai $atel started his 6a& practice in 3odhra- Soon his practice flourished- *e got married to 5haberaba- 'n 19=! he got a baby daughter )aniben and in 19=1 his son (ahyabhai &as born.allabhbhai sent his elder brother .itthalbhai &ho himself &as a la&yer to ;ngland for higher studies in 6a&- $atel &as only thirty>three years old &hen his &ife died- *e did not &ish to marry again- After his brother's return .allabhbhai &ent to ;ngland- *e studied &ith single>minded devotion and stood first in the Barrister>at>6a& ;8aminationSardar $atel returned to 'ndia in 191% and started his practice in Ahmedabad- Soon he became popularAt the urging of his friends $atel contested and &on elections to become the sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad in 191"- Sardar $atel &as deeply impressed by 3andhi4i's success in #hamparan Satyagraha'n 1910 there &as a drought in the Kheda division of 3u4arat- $easants as+ed for relief from the high rate of ta8es but the British government refused- 3andhi4i too+ up peasants cause but could not devote his full time in Kheda- *e &as loo+ing for someone &ho could lead the struggle in his absence- At this point

Sardar $atel volunteered to come for&ard and lead the struggle- *e gave up his lucrative legal practice and entered public life.allabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt ended in 1919 &hen the British government agreed to suspend collection of revenue and roll bac+ the rates- Kheda Satyagraha turned .allabhbhai $atel into a national hero- .allabhbhai supported 3andhi's 2on>#ooperation )ovement and as president of the 3u4arat #ongress helped in organi:ing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad- *e gave up his ;nglish clothes and started &earing Khadi- Sardar .allabh Bhai $atel &as elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922 192! and 192"- (uring his terms Ahmedabad &as e8tended a ma4or supply of electricity and under&ent ma4or education reforms- (rainage and sanitation systems &ere e8tended over all the city'n 1920 Bardoli 7alu+a in 3u4arat suffered from floods and famine- 'n this hour of distress the British government raised the revenue ta8es by thirty percent- Sardar $atel too+ up cudgels on behalf of the farmers and appealed to the 3overnor to reduce the ta8es- 7he 3overnor refused and the government even announced the date of the collection of the ta8es- Sardar $atel organi:ed the farmers and told them not to pay even a single pie of ta8- 7he government tried to repress the revolt but ultimately bo&ed before .allabhbhai $atel- 't &as during the struggle and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense e8citement across 'ndia that $atel &as increasingly addressed by his colleagues and follo&ers as SardarSardar $atel &as imprisoned during #ivil (isobedience )ovement in 19%=- After the signing of 3andhi> 'r&in pact in 19%1 Sardar $atel &as released and he &as elected #ongress president for its 19%1 session in Karachi- ?pon the failure of the ,ound 7able #onference in 6ondon 3andhi4i and Sardar $atel &ere arrested in 5anuary 19%2 and imprisoned in the @eravada #entral 5ail- (uring this term of imprisonment Sardar $atel and )ahatma 3andhi gre& close to one another and the t&o developed a close bond of affection trust and fran+ness &ithout reserve- Sardar $atel &as finally released in 5uly 19%!'n August 19!2 the #ongress launched the Auit 'ndia )ovement- 7he government 4ailed all the important leaders of the #ongress including .allabhai $atel- All the leaders &ere released after three years- After achieving independence on 11th of August 19!" $andit 5a&aharlal 2ehru became the first $rime )inister of independent 'ndia and Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e &as in charge of *ome Affairs 'nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of States7here &ere 191 princely states in 'ndia at that time- Some of the )ahara4as and 2a&abs &ho ruled over these &ere sensible and patriotic- But most of them &ere drun+ &ith &ealth and po&er- 7hey &ere dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British <uit 'ndia- 7hey argued that the government of free 'ndia should treat them as e<uals- Some of them &ent to the e8tent of planning to send their representatives to the ?nited 2ations /rgani:ation- $atel invo+ed the patriotism of 'ndia's monarchs as+ing them to 4oin in the freedom of their nation and act as responsible rulers &ho cared about the future of their people- *e persuaded the princes of 191 states of the impossibility of independence from the 'ndian republic especially in the presence of gro&ing opposition from their sub4ects- Bith great &isdom and political foresight he consolidated the small +ingdoms- 7he public &as &ith him- *e tac+led the 2i:am of *yderabad and the 2a&ab of 5unagarh &ho initially did not &ant to 4oin 'ndia- Sardar $atel's untiring efforts to&ards the unity of the country brought success- *e united a scattered nation &ithout much bloodshed- (ue to the achievement of this massive tas+ Sardar $atel got the title of ''ron )an'- Sardar $atel died of cardiac arrest on (ecember 11 191=- Cor his services to the nation Sardar $atel &as conferred &ith Bharat ,atna in 1991-

BACK

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, in a farmer's family in Nadiad, G !arat" #is father, $a%erbhai, had ser%ed in the army of &hansi 'i (ani, and his mother, )adbai, was a dee*ly reli+io s woman" Vallabhbhai's initial schoolin+ was in G !arati" #is brother Vithalbhai, after com*letin+ middle school, had enrolled himself in ,n+lish t torial classes in a nearby town" Vallabhbhai followed s it" Vallabhbhai's s *erior or+ani-ational s'ills became e%ident while he was in hi+h school at Petlad when he coordinated the entire cam*ai+n for a *oor teacher who he tho +ht deser%ed a seat on the local m nici*al committee" Vallabhbhai *ers aded his fellow st dents to wor' for the cam*ai+n" So im*ressi%ely was the cam*ai+n handled that the teacher was elected o%er the rich local b sinessman" Vallabhbhai matric lated from Nadiad #i+h School in 18.7"

Vallabhbhai was married to $a%erbai in 18.1" /he co *le had two children0a da +hter 1aniben, born in 2*ril of 1.34, and a son 5ayabhai, born in No%ember of 1.35" $a%erbai died in &an ary of 1.3." Vallabhbhai sailed for ,n+land in 2 + st of 1.13 to st dy law" #e 6 alified as a barrister in 1.13 and ret rned to 7ndia to a l crati%e *ractice in 2hmedabad" #e !oined the G !arat 8l b and too' to western dressin+ and a comfortable lifestyle" Gandhi!i started comin+ to the G !arat 8l b to +i%e lect res" #e came a+ain and a+ain, *ro*a+atin+ the idea of his newly wielded wea*on of 9satya+raha9 or tr th force" Vallabhbhai was im*ressed with Gandhi!i and slowly be+an to ado*t his %iew" /he relationshi* between Gandhi!i and Vallabhbhai was concretely defined when Gandhi!i was elected the President of the G !arat Sabha and Vallabhbhai the Secretary, in 1.17" 7t was a relationshi* of a + r :teacher; and disci*le"

Vallabhbhai +ot his first o**ort nity to tili-e Gandhi!i's *hiloso*hy of satya+raha in 1.18 for the farmers of <aira who had lost their cro*s to hea%y rains and floods that year" /he +o%ernment disre+arded the farmers' misery and insisted on collectin+ land re%en e" Vallabhbhai or+ani-ed the No /a= cam*ai+n on *eacef l, Gandhian lines" /he +o%ernment held o t and be+an confiscatin+ land and what little cro*s and cattle the farmers still had" Vallabhbhai, now dec'ed in a dhoti, ' rta and ca* r+ed the farmers not to b c'le" /he +o%ernment e%ent ally relented and ret rned the confiscated *ro*erty" /his was the first %ictory of satya+raha for Vallabhbhai" #e was ! bilant"

Vallabhbhai too' to s*innin+ the char'ha, boycotted forei+n +oods and clothes and b rned his forei+n *ossessions on * blic bonfires" #e e%en discarded the western dresses he once so co%eted" /here was no sto**in+ Vallabhbhai" #e *artici*ated in the Na+* r fla+ satya+raha from 1ay to 2 + st in 1.>3 in *rotest a+ainst the sto**in+ of a *rocession which carried the national fla+" 7n 1.>8, Vallabhbhai once a+ain came to the resc e of the farmers, this time it was in

?ardoli, which was then a *art of S rat district" /he Go%ernment increased the ta= on the land" Vallabhbhai r+ed the farmers not to *ay, declarin+ the hi'e n! st" #e *re*ared the farmers for satya+raha" /he farmers ref sed to *ay the ta= hi'e" 7n retaliation, the Go%ernment confiscated their land, cattle and cro*s and arrested h ndreds of farmers" /here was a mass e=od s from ?ardoli to esca*e the Go%ernment's atrocities" /he farmers that remained contin ed the satya+raha" Vallabhbhai told the farmers not to sell mil', %e+etables and necessities to any *erson nless they *rod ced a chit assi+ned by the local satya+raha committee" /he 9*eacef l9 war ra+ed for si= months" @inally Vithalbhai, Vallabhbhai's brother, who was President of the 8entral )e+islati%e 2ssembly, bro'ered a com*rise" /he Go%ernment a+reed to hold an in6 iry into the ! stification of the ta= hi'e, released the satya+rahis and ret rned all confiscated items bac' to the farmers" So *leased was Gandhi!i with Vallabhbhai's effort that he +a%e him the title of 9Sardar9 or leader"

On 1arch 1>, 1.33, Sardar Patel left for 5andi to *re*are for Gandhi!i's Salt satya+raha" #e went to %illa+es to or+ani-e for the food and lod+in+ of the marchers" 7n e%ery %illa+e he went, he made stirrin+ s*eeches, ro sin+ the *eo*le to !oin the march to 5andi" /he Go%ernment swoo*ed down and arrested him while he was in the %illa+e of (as" /his was Sardar Patel's first *rison sentence" #e was released after the Gandhi07rwin *act of 1arch 1.31" /hat year he *resided o%er the 8on+ress session in <arachi" Gandhi!i sailed for )ondon to attend the (o nd /able 8onference in 1.31" Sardar Patel re+ larly *dated him on the sit ation in 7ndia" 7ronically, the ?ritish Go%ernment in 7ndia ste**ed * re*ression ! st when the 8onference was +oin+ on in )ondon" Gandhi!i was arrested on his ret rn from the 8onference" Sardar Patel and &awaharlal Nehr were also im*risoned" Sardar Patel was im*risoned with Gandhi!i in Aera%ada &ail, P ne, where they s*ent 1B months to+ether" Chile Sardar Patel was in !ail, his mother and brother died" #e ref sed to be released to attend to their last rites" 7n 1.37, elections for the *ro%incial +o%ernments were held nder the Go%ernment of 7ndia 2ct of 1.35" Sardar Patel was elected 8hairman to the Parliamentary S b08ommittee which was to select 8on+ress candidates and or+ani-e the elections" Sardar Patel's hard wor' res lted in the 8on+ress formin+ ma!ority +o%ernments in most Pro%inces" 2ll the 8on+ress ministries resi+ned when the ?ritish arbitrarily incl ded 7ndia in the war effort a+ainst Germany and &a*an" Gandhi!i *lanned an indi%id al satya+raha to *rotest 7ndia's incl sion in the war witho t bein+ cons lted" Sardar Patel was amon+ the first batch of leaders to offer satya+raha" 2rrests of the *artici*ants followed" On 2 + st 8, 1.4>, the 8on+ress and Gandhi!i *assed the 9D it 7ndia9 resol tion, callin+ *on the ?ritish to withdraw from 7ndia" /he Go%ernment res*onded with arrests of Sardar Patel, &awaharlal Nehr , Gandhi!i and other eminent 8on+ress leaders" Sardar Patel was im*risoned in 2hmedna+ar @ort while Gandhi!i was 'e*t in 2+a <han Palace" On 1arch >3, 1.4B, the )abor Prime 1inister of ?ritain arri%ed in 7ndia to ass re inde*endence for 7ndia" 2n 7nterim Go%ernment was *ro*osed and Sardar Patel once a+ain was as'ed to handle the cam*ai+n for the 8on+ress" 2+ain the Sardar deli%ered" /he 8on+ress won th m*in+ ma!orities in almost all *ro%inces" &awaharlal Nehr became Prime 1inister in Se*tember 1.4B and Sardar Patel held the *ortfolios of #ome and 7nformation and ?roadcastin+" On 2 + st 15, 1.47, 7ndia became free, b t only after Pa'istan was created" Chen Pa'istani infiltrators attac'ed <ashmir, Sardar Patel *ro*osed withholdin+

Pa'istan's share of cash balances left by the ?ritish" Gandhi!i felt s ch an act wo ld be morally wron+ and went on a fast nto death" Sardar Patel tried to *re%ail o%er Gandhi!i, b t he finally relented in order to sa%e the life of the 9@ather of the Nation"9 Sardar Patel handled the *ortfolio of #ome 1inister, 1inister of States and 1inister of 7nformation and ?roadcastin+" 2s #ome 1inister he had to deal with comm nal dist rbances that contin ed to roc' the nation after *artition" #e transferred army nits from P ne and 1adras to deal with the dist rbances in 5elhi" #e had the army mo%e ten tho sand 1 slims to (ed @ort to *rotect them from the riots" Sardar Patel handled the inte+ration of all the *rincely states into the 7ndian Enion with +reat e=*ertise" Ender the 8abinet 1ission, all the *rincely states had the ri+ht to !oin Pa'istan, 7ndia or remain inde*endent" /he Sardar declared that 9we are all 'nit to+ether by bonds of blood and feelin+s""" /herefore, it is better for s to ma'e laws sittin+ to+ether as friends"9 Sardar Patel dealt with #yderabad and & na+had firmly when these states tried to !oin Pa'istan or remain inde*endent" Gandhi!i was f ll of *raise" 2s time *assed, differences in o*inion formed between Sardar Patel and &awaharlal Nehr " Gandhi!i wanted both to wor' to+ether for the betterment of 7ndia" On &an ary 33, 1.48, Sardar Patel met Gandhi!i who e=*ressed his wish that Sardar Patel wor' side by side with Nehr " /he same day Gandhi!i was assassinated" Sardar Patel was cr shed" #e was f rther h rt when he was critici-ed for not *rotectin+ Gandhi!i" Sardar Patel wanted to *ost *lain0 cloth *olicemen at the Gandhi!i's *rayer meetin+s, b t Gandhi!i had forbidden it" 2fter Gandhi!i's death, Sardar Patel acted as Gandhi!i had wished and wor'ed closely with Nehr " Sardar Patel formed the 7ndian 2dministrati%e Ser%ice, 7ndian Police Ser%ice and other 8entral Ser%ices to assist in the *rocess of nation b ildin+" /he 97ron 1an of 7ndia9 died in ?ombay in 5ecember 1.53" #e left behind a nited 7ndia"
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was instrumental in unifying the princely states to form Union of India. For his fearless approach and stern appearance, Sardar Patel was regarded as the Iron man of India. To know more about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, read this brief biography and profile.

8 lt ral 7ndia F )eaders F Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

?ornF Passed ! 2wayF !% "ctober &ecember !#$% !'%(

8ontrib tions Vallabhbhai Patel was one of the great social leaders of India. )e played a crucial role during the freedom struggle of India and was instrumental in the integration of o*er %(( princely states into the Indian Union. &espite the choice of the people, on the re+uest of ,ahatma -andhi, Sardar Patel stepped down from the candidacy of .ongress president. The election on that occasion e*entually meant for the election of the first Prime ,inister of independent India. )ife Vallabhbhai Patel was born on "ctober !, !#$% in -u/arat to 0a*erbhai and 1adbai. Vallabhbhai, )is father

had ser*ed in the army of the 2ueen of 3hansi while his mother was a *ery spiritual man. Starting his academic career in a -u/arati medium school Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and shifted to an 4nglish medium school. In !#'$, Vallabhbhai passed his high school e5amination and started preparing for law e5amination. !'!(, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel went to 4ngland to study law. )e completed his law studies in !'! and came back to India and started his law practice. For his 45cellencies in 1aw, Vallabhbhai was offered many lucrati*e posts by the 6ritish -o*ernment but he re/ected all. )e was a staunch opponent of the 6ritish go*ernment and its laws and therefore decided not to work for the 6ritish. )e later started practicing at 7hmedabad. 7fter a meeting with ,ahatma -andhi, at the -u/arat .lub, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel got influenced by -andhi8s words. 1ater, inspired by -andhi8s work and philosophy Patel became a staunch follower of him. 7ndian National 1o%ement In !'!$, Sardar Vallabhbhai was elected as the Secretary of the -u/arat Sabha. The ne5t year, when there was a flood in 9aira, the 6ritish insisted on collecting ta5 from the farmers. Sardar Vallabhbhai led a massi*e :;o Ta5 campaign: that urged the farmers not to pay their land. The peaceful mo*ement forced the 6ritish authority to return then land taken away from the farmers )is effort to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of 8Sardar8 to his name. In !'<#, the farmers of 6ardoli faced a similar problem of :ta5=hike:. 7fter prolonged summons, when the farmers refused to pay the e5tra ta5, the go*ernment in retaliation sei>ed their lands. Vallabhbhai Patel. The agitation took on for more than si5 months and after a deal struck between the go*ernment and farmer8s representati*es, the lands were returned. In !' ( Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was imprisoned for participating in the famous Salt Satyagraha called by ,ahatma -andhi. )is inspiring speeches during the :Salt ,o*ement: transformed the li*es of numerous people, who later played a ma/or role in making the mo*ement successful. Sardar Patel was freed in !' ! following an agreement signed between ,ahatma -andhi and 1ord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The treaty was popularly known as the -andhi=Irwin pact. The same year, Patel was elected as the president of Indian ;ational .ongress Party for its 9arachi session. In the 9arachi session, the Indian ;ational .ongress Party committed itself to the defence of fundamental rights and human rights and a dream of a secular nation. 7n agreement regarding this was also sanctioned. In !' ?, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led the all=India election campaign for the Indian ;ational .ongress. Though he did not contest a seat for himself, Sardar Patel helped his fellow party mates during the election. Sardar Patel was annoyed at 3awaharlal ;ehru for the latter8s declarations of the adoption of socialism in !' @. Patel also considered ;eta/i Subhash .handra 6ose a :keen of more power within the party. 7nfl ence of Gandhi Ahile senior leaders including 3awaharlal ;ehru, .hakra*arthi Ba/agopalachari and ,aulana 7>ad critici>ed ,ahatma -andhi8s concept that the ci*il disobedience mo*ement would compel the 6ritish to lea*e the nation, Patel e5tended his support to -andhi. &espite the unwillingness of the .ongress )igh .ommand, ,ahatma -andhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel strongly forced the 7ll India .ongress .ommittee to ratify

the ci*il disobedience mo*ement and launch it without delaying further. 7cting under the pressure, the 7ll India .ongress .ommittee sanctioned the dri*e on $ 7ugust !'?<. "ne important episode that could change the political lines of the country had shaped up /ust a year of attaining independence. &uring the election for the .ongress presidency in !'?@, thirteen of the si5teen states proposed Sardar Patel8s name for the post. It was a *ery crucial election, as the elected president of the congress party would be later considered as the first Prime ,inister of independent India. 3ust a few days, before the all important election, ,ahatma -andhi re+uest Sardar Patel to lea*e the candidacy and support 3awaharlal ;ehru. Sardar Patel, without pondering twice, stepped down. 7nte+ration of *rincely states 7t the time of independence, Indian territory was di*ided into three parts. First, the territories under the direct control of the 6ritish go*ernment, second were the territories o*er which the hereditary rulers had su>erainty. The regions, which had been coloni>ed by France and Portugal, formed the last. India, without the integration of these different territories under one roof, could not be considered as a unified and total country. It was a stupendous task for the ruling party, to persuade the rulers of these states to /oin. 7ccording to 6ritish go*ernment, the pro*ince rulers had the liberty to choose how they wanted to be ruled. They were gi*en two choices. They could /oin either of India and Pakistan or stay independently. The stance of the 6ritish go*ernment had made the task much difficult for India. 7t this point many leaders of the congress approached the rulers but they failed to con*ince. 7t last, they all made a re+uest Vallabhbhai Patel to think some other options to bring the princely rulers under Indian control. Sardar Patel e*entually dealt with the tough=situation and came out successfully. )e had made secured their accession. Therefore, the state of India we see today was a result of the efforts put in by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. 5eath Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel8s health declined in !'%(. )e, himself reali>ed that he was not going to li*e much longer. "n < ;o*ember his health deteriorated further and was confined to bed. 7fter suffering a massi*e heart attack, on !% &ecember !'%(, the great soul left the world.

Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as born in 3u4arat on %1st of /ctober 10"1 into a family of patriots- *is father &as a farmer and fought for 'ndia's freedom from the British- .ithalbhai .allabhbhai's elder brother &as also a &ell>+no&n patriot- *e &as the #hairman of the 'ndian 6egislative #ouncilCrom a young age itself .allabhbhai &as very courageous and raised his voice against in4ustice- *is ambition &as to become a barrister li+e his brother- *e studied very hard and travelled to ;ngland and passed the Barrister>at>6a& ;8amination- After he returned to 'ndia he setup a practice in Ahmedabad &hich &as very successful and he earned a lot of moneyAround this time the struggle for freedom &as gaining a lot of momentum- 3andhi4i attended a conference in 3u4arat &here he met .allabhbhai and they became friends-

'n 1910 .allabhbhai too+ the responsibility of leading the farmers of 3u4arat- *e &as very successful in his struggle against the British and became a prominent leader in the freedom struggle'n 192= the #ongress started the non>cooperation struggle and .allabhbhai gave up his practice- *e setup the 3u4arat .idyapeeth &here children could study instead of attending 3overnment schools'n 1920 he successfully organised the lando&ners of Bardoli against British ta8 increases- 't &as after this that .allabhbhai &as given the title of SardarD6eaderE'n 19%1 he served as $resident of the 'ndian 2ational #ongress- *e &as sent to 4ail by the British and freed only in 19%!'n 19!2 Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as again sent to 4ail because of the start of the FAuit 'ndia )ovementF1n 19!" &hen 'ndia got freedom Sardar $atel became the (eputy $rime )inister- *e &as in charge of *ome Affairs 'nformation and Broadcasting and the )inistry of States- *e &as given the tas+ of organi:ing 9== states into one nation- *e too+ strong steps li+e sending the army to 5unagadh and *yderabad to force them to align &ith free 'ndia- 't is because of these strong steps that earned him the title of F7he man of steelFSardar .allabhbhai passed a&ay in Bombay on the morning of the 11th (ecember 191=-

?ornF "ctober !, !#$% 5iedF &ecember !%, !'%( 2chie%ementsF Successfully led 9heda Satyagraha and 6ardoli re*olt against 6ritish go*ernmentC elected 7hmedabad8s municipal president in !'<<, !'<? and !'<$C elected .ongress President in !' !C was independent India8s first &eputy Prime ,inister and )ome ,inisterC played a key role in political integration of IndiaC conferred 6harat Batna in !''!. Sardar Patel was popularly known as Iron ,an of India. )is full name was Vallabhbhai Patel. )e played a leading role in the Indian freedom struggle and became the first &eputy Prime ,inister and )ome ,inister of India. )e is credited with achie*ing political integration of India. Vallabhbhai Patel was born on "ctober !, !#$% in ;adiad, a small *illage in -u/arat. )is father 3ha*erbhai was a farmer and mother 1aad 6ai was a simple lady. Sardar Vallabhai8s early education took place in 9aramsad. Then he /oined a school in Petlad. 7fter two years he /oined a high school in a town called ;adiad. )e passed his high school e5amination in !#'@. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a brilliant student throughout his schooling. Vallabhbhai wanted to become a barrister. To reali>e this ambition he had to go to 4ngland. 6ut he did not ha*e the financial means to e*en /oin a college India. In those days a candidate could study in pri*ate and sit for an e5amination in 1aw. Sardar Vallabh 6hai Patel borrowed books from a lawyer of his ac+uaintance and studied at home. "ccasionally he attended courts of law and listened attenti*ely to the arguments of lawyer. Vallabhbhai passed the 1aw e5amination with flying colours. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel started his 1aw practice in -odhra. Soon his practice flourished. )e got married to 3haberaba. In !'(?, he got a baby daughter ,aniben, and in !'(% his son &ahyabhai was born. Vallabhbhai sent his elder brother Vitthalbhai, who himself was a lawyer, to 4ngland for higher studies in 1aw. Patel was only thirty=three years old when his wife died. )e did not wish to marry again. 7fter his brother8s return, Vallabhbhai went to 4ngland. )e studied with single=minded de*otion and stood first in the 6arrister=at=1aw 45amination. Sardar Patel returned to India in !'! and started his practice in 7hmedabad. Soon he became popular. 7t the urging of his friends, Patel contested and won elections to become the sanitation commissioner of 7hmedabad in !'!$. Sardar Patel was deeply impressed by -andhi/i8s success in .hamparan Satyagraha. In !'!#, there was a drought in the 9heda di*ision of -u/arat. Peasants asked for relief from the high rate of ta5es but the 6ritish go*ernment refused. -andhi/i took up peasants cause but could not de*ote his full time in 9heda. )e was looking for someone who could lead the struggle in his absence. 7t this point Sardar Patel *olunteered to come forward and lead the struggle. )e ga*e up his lucrati*e legal practice and entered public life. Vallabhbhai successfully led peasants re*olt in 9heda and the re*olt ended in !'!' when the 6ritish go*ernment agreed to suspend collection of re*enue and roll back the rates. 9heda Satyagraha turned Vallabhbhai Patel into a national hero. Vallabhbhai supported -andhi8s ;on=.ooperation ,o*ement, and as president of the -u/arat .ongress, helped in organi>ing bonfires of 6ritish goods in 7hmedabad. )e ga*e up his 4nglish clothes and started wearing 9hadi. Sardar Vallabh 6hai Patel was elected 7hmedabad8s municipal president in !'<<, !'<? and !'<$. &uring his terms, 7hmedabad was e5tended a ma/or supply of electricity and underwent ma/or education reforms. &rainage and sanitation systems were e5tended o*er all the city. In !'<#, 6ardoli Taluka in -u/arat suffered from floods and famine. In this hour of distress the 6ritish go*ernment raised the re*enue ta5es by thirty percent. Sardar Patel took up cudgels on behalf of the farmers and appealed to the -o*ernor to reduce the ta5es. The -o*ernor refused and the go*ernment e*en announced the date of the collection of the ta5es. Sardar Patel organi>ed the farmers and told them not to pay e*en a single pie of ta5. The go*ernment tried to repress the re*olt but ultimately bowed before Vallabhbhai Patel. It was during the struggle and after the *ictory in 6ardoli that caused intense e5citement

across India, that Patel was increasingly addressed by his colleagues and followers as Sardar. Sardar Patel was imprisoned during .i*il &isobedience ,o*ement in !' (. 7fter the signing of -andhi=Irwin pact in !' !, Sardar Patel was released and he was elected .ongress president for its !' ! session in 9arachi. Upon the failure of the Bound Table .onference in 1ondon, -andhi/i and Sardar Patel were arrested in 3anuary !' < and imprisoned in the Dera*ada .entral 3ail. &uring this term of imprisonment, Sardar Patel and ,ahatma -andhi grew close to one another, and the two de*eloped a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness without reser*e. Sardar Patel was finally released in 3uly !' ?. In 7ugust !'?<, the .ongress launched the 2uit India ,o*ement. The go*ernment /ailed all the important leaders of the .ongress, including Vallabhai Patel. 7ll the leaders were released after three years. 7fter achie*ing independence on !%th of 7ugust !'?$, Pandit 3awaharlal ;ehru became the first Prime ,inister of independent India and Sardar Patel became the &eputy Prime ,inister. )e was in charge of )ome 7ffairs, Information and 6roadcasting and the ,inistry of States. There were %@% princely states in India at that time. Some of the ,ahara/as and ;awabs who ruled o*er these were sensible and patriotic. 6ut most of them were drunk with wealth and power. They were dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the 6ritish +uit India. They argued that the go*ernment of free India should treat them as e+uals. Some of them went to the e5tent of planning to send their representati*es to the United ;ations "rgani>ation. Patel in*oked the patriotism of India8s monarchs, asking them to /oin in the freedom of their nation and act as responsible rulers who cared about the future of their people. )e persuaded the princes of %@% states of the impossibility of independence from the Indian republic, especially in the presence of growing opposition from their sub/ects. Aith great wisdom and political foresight, he consolidated the small kingdoms. The public was with him. )e tackled the ;i>am of )yderabad and the ;awab of 3unagarh who initially did not want to /oin India. Sardar Patel8s untiring efforts towards the unity of the country brought success. )e united a scattered nation without much bloodshed. &ue to the achie*ement of this massi*e task, Sardar Patel got the title of 8Iron ,an8. Sardar Patel died of cardiac arrest on &ecember !%, !'%(. For his ser*ices to the nation Sardar Patel was conferred with 6harat Batna in !''!.

)eerut 'ndia 2ovember =% G Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &as a great leader- *is tireless &or+ for the freedom progress unity and integrity of 'ndia is a testament of his uni<ue personality filled &ith dedication and devotion*e accepted 3andhi4i as his political preceptor and leader in 1910 on the eve of the Kisan Satyagraha in Kaira district of 3u4arat- After that his dedication for 3andhi4i proved matchless in the entire 3andhian era of 'ndia's freedom movement.allabhbhai's dedication for 3andhi4i &as such that he never forgot to &ash dishes or clean the chappals or foot&ear of his preceptor and &henever he stayed &ith 3andhi4i he rendered all possible service- ;ven &hile voting to pass resolutions during his tenure in the #ongress #ommittee he &ould follo& 3andhi4i's vote and do the sameSeeing .allabhbhai's dedication and devotion for the )ahatma many of his contemporaries believed he &as a blind follo&er of )ahatma 3andhi- *o&ever he &as not a blind follo&er but full of determination and used to communicate &ith 3andhi4i clearly &ithout fear- Cearlessness ran in his blood and bones'n this conte8t the episode relating to the library of the 3u4arat .idyapeeth of Ahmedabad is a good e8ample- 3andhi4i had founded the 3u4arat .idyapeeth and also set up a library there'n those days Ka+asaheb Kalel+ar &as the principal of the .idyapeeth- /n the advice of Kalel+ar 3andhi4i placed the .idyapeeth's library under the charge of the )unicipality of Ahmedabad- 7he 3u4arat .idyapeeth &as managed by a 7rust and any decisions on managing its various faculties including the library could be ta+en only by its 7rustees- .allabhbhai &as one of the 7rustee and &as not in Ahmedabad &hen 3andhi4i too+ the decision on the library &ithout consulting himBhen .allabhbhai reached Ahmedabad and came to +no& 3andhi4i's decision he immediately &ent to him and as+ed FBapu ho& did you ta+e the decision alone to handover the library to the )unicipalityH (id you have the right to do soHF 3andhi4i &as speechless &hen .allabhbhai told him FBapu you have to &ithdra& your decision- 7he .idyapeeth has its o&n 7rust &hich can ta+e decisions by ma4ority votes- @es you can present your opinion if any before the 7rust-F F@es it &as my fault indeedF 3andhi4i accepted- *e told .allabhbhai that he &ould correct his fault by as+ing the )unicipality to hand over the library bac+ to the .idyapeeth- And immediately he &rote to the )unicipality about his non>democratic decision- As a result the .idyapeeth got its library bac+- Such &as the firmness and fran+ness of .allabhbhai.allabhbhai &as a true follo&er of 3andhi4i &hom he considered as his father- 7he path of non>violence ta+en by 3andhi4i for the &elfare of his compatriots in dire conditions &as one that &on 'ndia its freedom- 7herefore he accepted the )ahatma as his preceptor*is elder brother .ithalbhai $atel &hom .allabhbhai greatly respected and considered as his father also emerged as one of the stal&arts in 'ndia's politics then- *o&ever .allabhbhai accepted 3andhi4i as his 3uru and leader and not his brother- 'n 192= during the time of the 2on>#ooperation and Khilafat )ovement

.allabhbhai said he &ould loc+ himself up and give the +ey to Bapu'n fact .allabhbhai's devotion and dedication is similar to that seen in the *indu mythology ,amayana &here 6ord ,ama is surrounded by his devotees li+e his &ife 3oddess Sita his brother 6a8man the mon+ey 3od *anuman etc so are considered great characters due to their deep devotion for 6ord ,ama'n the entire 3andhian era of 'ndia's freedom movement despite the presence of freedom fighters li+e ,a4endra $rasad Abul 3haffar Khan and Saro4ini 2aidu &ho &ere loyal to 3andhi4i it &as only .allabhbhai &ho uttered that he &ould loc+ himself and give the +ey to BapuAlthough others believed 3andhian philosophy and follo&ed his footprints it &as only Sardar .allabhbhai $atel &ho &as happy to loc+ himself and give the +ey to 3andhi4iSuch &as .allabhbahi $atel a uni<ue and devoted leader-

S2(52( V2))2?#?#27 P2/,)0 /#, 7(ON 12N O@ 7N572

,mail

Aritten by lionofgu/arat on

&ec=!%=(# $E( pm<((#=!<=!%T(%E

E?(

PHENOMENAL LEADER OF INDIA

Vallabh bhai patel was born on 31st October 1875 at Nadiad in Gujarat, popularly known as a IRONMANo !ndia" #e was one o the $ost in luential reedo$ i%hter and socialleader o !ndia durin% !ndian reedo$ $o&e$ent" #e is always appreciated oracco$plishin% the inte%ration o princely states o !ndia" !n !ndia and acrossthe world, he is known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, where Sardarstands or Chief in $any lan%ua%es o !ndia"

'orn

and

raised

in

the

countryside

o Gujarat, orce ul and

Vallabhbhai (atel was a sel )educated,

success ulGujarati lawyer, when he was inspired by the work and philosophy o *ahat$aGandhi" (atel or%ani+ed the peasants o ,heda and 'ardoli in Gujarat innon) &iolent $ass ci&il disobedience a%ainst the oppressi&e ta- policiesi$posed by the 'ritish .aj ) beco$in% the

one o the $ost in luential leader inGujarat" #e rose to the national leadership o the !ndian National /on%ress andat the ore ront o rebellions and political e&ents 0 or%ani+in% the party orelections in 1132 and 1137, and helpin% lead !ndians into the 34uit !ndia*o&e$ent5" (atel was known a$on%st nationalists as 6Gandhi7slieutenant,6 and he enjoyed considerable support and respect in the/on%ress leadership" or his decisi&e and strai%ht orward

INTEGATION OF INDIA BY SARDAR PATEL

'eco$in% the *inister o

irst #o$e *inister and8eputy (ri$e !ndia, (atel or%ani+ed relie and

rehabilitatione orts in the riot)struck (unjab and 8elhi, and leadin% e orts to restorepeace and security" (atel took char%e o the task to or%e a united !ndia ro$ a plethora o a velvet se$i)independent princely states, colonial glove diplo$acy$dash9 rank political pro&inces andpossessions" (atel e$ployed an iron fist in ne%otiations backed with the option :and the use; o $ilitary action to weld a nation that could e$ancipate its people without theprospect o di&isions or ci&il

con lict" #is leadership obtained the peace uland swi t inte%ration o all 5<5 princely states into the .epublic o !ndia"(atel7s initiati&es spread de$ocracy e-tensi&ely across !ndia, and re)or%ani+edthe states to help trans or$ !ndia into a $odern ederal republic" #is

ad$irerscall hi$ the Iron Man of India"

(atel was the chair$an o theco$$ittees responsible or $inorities, tribal and e-cluded areas, unda$entalri%hts and pro&incial constitutions" #e worked closely with *usli$ leaders toend separate electorates and the $ore potent de$and or reser&ation o seats or $inorities" #e was also instru$ental >er&ice in the the oundin% !ndian the (olice !ndian=d$inistrati&e and

>er&ice, and or his de ence o !ndian ci&il ser&ants ro$ political attack, he is known as the 6patronsaint6 o !ndia7s ser&ices" ?hen a dele%ation o Gujarati ar$ers ca$eto hi$ citin% their inability to send their $ilk production to the $arkets withoutbein% $iddle$en, (atel e-horted the$ to leeced by the or%anise

processin% andsale o $ilk by the$sel&es, and %uided the$ to create the ,aira 8istrict/o)operati&e *ilk (roducers7 @nion Ai$ited, which preceded the =$ul $ilkproducts brand"

ARNED NE!R" BEFORE !E MADE BIG MISTA#E

?hen troops

the

(akistani

in&asion 'ut

o ,ash$ir with

be%an Nehru

in and had

>epte$ber 1127, (atel i$$ediately wanted to send into,ash$ir" he a%reein% till *ountbatten, waited ,ash$ir7s$onarch

acceded to !ndia" (atel then o&ersaw !ndia7s $ilitary operations tosecure >rina%ar, the 'ara$ulla (ass and the orces retrie&ed a lot o territory ro$ the in&aders" (atel, alon% with 8e ence *inister 'alde& >in%h e ort, ad$inistered the entire $ilitary

arran%in% or

troops

ro$

di erent

parts o !ndia to be rushed to ,ash$ir and or a$ajor $ilitary road connectin% >rina%ar to (athankot be built in < $onths"(atelstron%ly ad&ised Nehru a%ainst %oin% or arbitration to the @nited Nations,insistin% that (akistan had been wron% to support the in&asion and theaccession to !ndia was &alid" #e did not want orei%n inter erence in abilateral a air" (atel opposed the release o .s" 55 crores to the Go&ern$ento (akistan, con&inced that the $oney would %o to inance the war a%ainst !ndiain ,ash$ir" Bhe /abinet had appro&ed his point but it was re&ersed when Gandhi,who eared an intensi yin% ri&alry and urther co$$unal &iolence, went on a ast)unto)death to obtain the release" (atel, thou%h not estran%ed ro$ Gandhi,was deeply hurt at the rejection o his counsel and a /abinet decision"

I !a$e been al%a&' infl(en)ed b& follo%in* leader'hi+ ',illof >=.8=. V=AA='#'#=! (=BCA
Tenacity D)one the $ost inspirin% stron% point o >ardar (atel was his ir$ness to the %oal decided to achie&e" #is tenacity was indeed inco$parable" Invincibility D) = ter %ettin% reedo$, when whole world was thinkin% that !ndiawould be di&ided in thousands o parts, >ardar (atel was the person who pro&edthe$ wron% and inte%rate !ndia" Ability of strong and fast decision making skill D) 'e ore reedo$ or a ter reedo$ >ardar (atel was always know or his decision $akin%" Influence & team building D)one o the $ost i$portant characteristic o >ardar (atel any leader is hisin luencin% ability" was ull o this skill" Eor e%" ,heda and 'ardoli o Gujarat to irst ti$e in

Or%ani+ed ar$ers o !ndia" =t that point

hold $ass) non&iolent ci&ildisobedience

ar$ers were not united and

wasdeter$ined 'ritishers"

to

do

&iolent

$o&e$ent

a%ainst

Conflict resolution D) >ardar (atel was also ha&in% %reat con lict resolution skill"Bhere are so $any e-a$ple in his li e or it but the way he consolidated !ndian(rincely >tates that is really inco$parable" Flexibility according to situation D) >ardar (atel5s $ost inspirin% characteristic was adaptability withany kind o situation" ?hen he was $o&in% ro$ one &illa%e to another to unitethe !ndia, he aced $any hurdles, he went to jail $any ti$es Never ending Winning Spirit D) ! ha&e read a book about >ardar (atel5sli e, written by .aj$ohan Gandhi, ! was $oti&ated by his ne&er endin% spirit,dedication to work, loyalty to country, always adaptin% with %roup and$aintainin% balance in %roup :specially in conte-t o Fawaharlal Nehru;"thereare so$any incidents durin% his childhood about how he used to %o school, his tolerance power etc" which really$oti&ated $e"

-on)l('ion

Bhus, li e o >ardar (atel is continuous low o inspirations" Bhis%reat leader was sel )educated" #e has nurtured $any skills in his sel by hisown" Bhe abo&e)$entioned Gualities about hi$ are $ost desired in a $ana%er alsobecause proble$s ne&er co$e a ter in or$in% us" ! used to peep into the book o 3>ardar (atel) = dedicated li e5 when ! eel $ysel cau%ht up in any &erydi icult proble$ and ! a$ always able to ind the solution out o it" !t won5tbe e-a%%eration to say that a ter *ahat$a Gandhi, >ardar (atel is the $ost saluted leader in !ndia"! salute this %reat Aeader"

Nation needs his iron ill

!a"#ohan Sardar Patel$ A rare %onstru%ti&e "enius <e$ as a nation$ do not realise that &reat 'uestions of the day are not settled by speeches and slo&ans but by sound and solid action. Ideas are important. (ut it is the constructive wor3 alone that can 9in#ect meanin& into the veins of history and civilisation9. here is no one in modern India who has achieved so much in so many directions and in such a short time as Sardar .allabhbhai Patel. :t the time of his death$ the Manchester Guardian wroteC 9<ithout Patel$ "andhi4s idea would have less practical influence and %ehru4s idealism less scope. 2e was not only the or&aniser of the fi&ht for freedom$ but also the architect of the new state when the fi&ht was over. he same man is seldom successful both as rebel and statesman. Sardar Patel was an e1ception.9 Inte"ration o' States Sardar Patel4s inte&ration over ,7= princely states was really a &reat triumph for the sense of realism and responsibility. In respect of this &reat tas3$ he has often been compared with 5hancellor (ismarc3 who unified "ermany in the late 19th century. (ut Patel4s achievement is far more remar3able than that of (ismarc3. he latter had only to deal with about a do>en statesD Patel had to handle ,71. <hile (ismarc3 resorted to the policy of 4blood and iron4$ Patel brou&ht about a bloodless revolution. 2e showed an ama>in& capacity to si>e up men and moments and stri3e when the iron was hot. <ithout splatterin& any blood$ he caused about +==$=== s' 3m of land to be added to the Indian @nion$ besides a population of +7 million. (oth "andhi and 0ord Mountbatten warmly reco&nised Patel4s &reat contribution. "andhi observedC 9 he tas3 of

dealin& with the princes was truly formidable$ but I am convinced that the Sardar was the only person who could have coped with it.9 0ord Mountbatten$ in his letter of ;une 19$ 194+$ to Patel$ wroteC 9 here is no doubt that by far the most important achievement of the present "overnment is unification of the States into the Dominion of India. 2ad you failed in this$ the results would have been disastrous. (ut since you succeeded$ no one can see the disastrous conse'uences that you avoided. %othin& has added to the presti&e of the present "overnment more than the brilliant policy you have followed with the States.9 Patel first formulated a &reat desi&n for a well!3nit India and then proceeded to materialise it on the &round. 2e aroused the patriotic sentiments of the princes and reminded themC 9<e are at a momentous sta&e in the history of India. (y a common endeavour$ we can raise the country to a new &reatness$ while lac3 of unity will e1pose us to fresh calamities.9 :t the same time$ Patel too3 care not to allow any &rass to &row underneath his feet. 2e scotched %awab of (hopal4s idea of &roupin& a few States and securin& a separate dominion status. :nd when compulsive deni&rators of India$ li3e <inston 5hurchill$ tried to complicate the 2yderabad problem by proppin& up the divisive &ame of the %i>am$ 9an old and faithful ally of the ?mpire9$ Patel responded clearly and firmlyC 9It is only in &oodwill spirit and not on the malice and venom of Mr 5hurchill4s ton&ue that an endurin& relationship can be built between India and (ritain and other members of the 5ommonwealth.9 he messa&e went home and the browbeatin& of India stopped. Patel4s approach to the hi&hly comple1 issues of inte&ration of a wide variety of princely states was mar3ed by an inspired vision$ tact$ ma&nanimity$ infle1ible will and 4resolute practicability4. <hen %i3ita -hrushchev visited India in 19,7$ he si&nificantly observedC 9Bou Indians are a remar3able people. Bou have li'uidated the princely states without li'uidatin& the princes.9 It was$ by implications$ a &reat tribute to the remar3able wor3 of Patel.

Patel and (ash#ir If Patel had handled ;ammu E -ashmir$ the subse'uent confusion and contradictions would have been avoided and we would not have found ourselves in the bloody and brutal mess of the present day. Patel had correctly si>ed up Shei3h :bdullah and sensed his proclivity to bully. 2is practical sense forbade him to believe that all Indian e&&s could be safely placed in the Shei3h4s bas3et. 2e bemoaned India4s reference of the -ashmir case to the @nited %ations. 2e tried his best to secure deletion of the words$ 9plebiscite under the @% auspices9$ from ;awaharlal %ehru4s radio broadcast on )ctober 8+$ 1947. In his private conversation$ he sometimes satirically referred to the 4e1pertise4 of the two votaries of the @% in the "overnment of India !! 0ord Mountbatten and %ehru. Patel was also a&ainst "opalaswamy :yyan&ar bein& sent as leader of the Indian dele&ation to the @% and Shei3h :bdullah as member. 2e preferred Sir "ir#a Shan3ar to the formerD about the latter$ he feared that the 9Shei3h4s flamboyant personality mi&ht easily swamp the boat9. It was unwise to a&ree to many of Shei3h :bdullah4s unreasonable demands and bolster his e&o to such an e1tent that he started nursin& illusions of carvin& out a virtual 4Shei3hdom4 for himself and his coterie. 2ad Patel remained on the scene$ he would have halted the appeasement in time. o the e1tent Patel was able to influence the course of events in ;ammu E -ashmir$ his contribution was fruitful. <hen the raiders were on the outs3irts of Srina&ar and 0t 5ol Aan#it Aai and Ma#or Som %ath Sharma of the Indian :rmy had been 3illed$ bein& heavily outnumbered$ Patel$ accompanied by Defence Minister (aldev Sin&h flew to the State capital$ assessed the situation on the &round and on return to %ew Delhi ordered stoppa&e of all airline services and diversion of all planes for flyin& troops to Srina&ar. he timely arrival of reinforcements enabled (ri&adier Sen to lure the raiders in the net of Indian forces$ near Shaltan&$ and attac3 them on %ovember , from three sides. he raiders

were routed. hree hundred of them were 3illed. he battle of Shaltan& F%ovember 7G proved decisive. hree days afterwards$ advancin& Indian troops recaptured (aramullah. If Patel had his way$ he would not have allowed Mahara#a 2ari Sin&h to be humiliated. 0eft to himself$ he would have struc3 a proper balance between the re'uirements of the @nion and the State and also harmonised$ within a sound and truly secular and democratic framewor3$ the aspirations of Shei3h :bdullah$ Mahara#a 2ari Sin&h and those of the people of three main re&ions !! ;ammu$ -ashmir and 0ada3h. Reor"anisation o' )i&il Ser&i%es Durin& the freedom stru&&le$ the Indian 5ivil Service was on the other side of the fence and incurred the wrath of the 5on&ress leaders. %ehru berated it as 9neither Indian nor civil nor service9. :s the freedom movement &ained momentum and the spectacle of Partition loomed lar&er over the Indian hori>on$ the members of the Indian 5ivil Service became uneasy about their future. han3s to the constructive &enius of Patel$ the tan&le was satisfactorily resolved. Patel4s approach was that of a statesman. 2e did not allow the past rancour of the 5on&ress a&ainst the I5S to blur his vision. 2e firmly believed that the :ll!India Services had a vital role to play in buildin& a stron& and united India. 2e advocated the retention of I5S and IP and proposed the constitution of two new :ll!India Services !! the Indian :dministrative Service and the Indian Police Service. Patel e1plained his reasons for favourin& the continuance of the institution of the I5S durin& the debate in the 5onstituent :ssembly. : few members criticised his proposals. Sa1ena reminded the :ssemblyC 9It was the steel frame of the I5S that had enslaved us.9 :yyan&ar saidC 9It means that they were the rulers under the old re&ime and that they will continue to be so in this re&ime.9 (ut Patel defended the I5S vi&orously. In a speech$ which must be rec3oned as historic in the arena

of public administration in India$ Patel saidC 9In point of patriotism$ in point of sincerity and in point of ability$ you cannot have a substitute... :s a man of e1perience$ I tell you$ do not 'uarrel with the instruments with which you want to wor3. It is a bad wor3man who 'uarrels with his instruments.9 Patel4s ac3nowled&ement of the role of the Indian 5ivil Service boosted the morale of the officers and &ave them a new sense of confidence and purpose. hey saw in him a 9&reat &uardian of their le&itimate interests9. 2e$ with the enthusiastic support of the officers$ not only completed the inte&ration of the states and steered the country throu&h a critical phase$ but also put the Indian administration on a secure foundation. De&elo*in" a Ne +odel o' )i&i% Go&ernan%e hou&h little 3nown$ Patel4s wor3 in the field of civic administration was no less remar3able. In 194+$ the (ombay 5orporation held a civic reception in honour of Patel. )n the occasion$ he was as3ed what he considered to be the 4finest hour4 of his illustrious career. %obody e1pected him to say what he said. Invitin& attention to his wor3 first as chairman of the Sanitary 5ommittee F1917!88G and then as president of the Municipal (oard F1984!8+G. Patel reflectedC 9 o cleanse the dirt of the city is 'uite different from cleansin& the dirt of politics. 6rom the former you &et a &ood ni&ht4s rest$ while the latter 3eeps you worried and you lose your sleep.9 Patel4s approach was direct and dynamic. 2e often combined his mornin& wal3s with the inspection tour of the city. In the company of ". Mavalan3ar and civic officers$ he moved into the narrow streets$ ascertained the problems from the people and too3 prompt remedial measures. e constructed a model which solved many of the acute problems of sanitation$ health$ water supply$ waste disposal and traffic. Sometimes Patel appeared on the streets$ himself leadin& the sanitary team. his created a new fervour not only amon& his staff$ but also the youth who #oined his campai&n. a3in& cue from Patel4s selfless wor3 in the streets of :hmedabad$ "andhi advised the municipal councillors all

over the country 9not to see3 honours or indul&e in mutual rivalries$ but to have real spirit of service and covert themselves into unpaid sweepers and road!ma3ers and$ above all$ ta3e pride in doin& so.9 Prote%tor o' True Interests o' +inorities Patel has been accused of bein& anti!Muslim. @nfortunately$ in the present!day India$ this accusation has to be faced by all those who are the real benefactors of Muslims$ but have the coura&e and commitment of callin& a spade a spade$ and ma3in& a distinction between appeasement and fairness$ between whettin& the appetite of a trouble!ma3er and tellin& him to behave. Patel$ it is often for&otten$ was the chairman of the Minorities Sub!5ommittee of the 5onstituent :ssembly. he liberal provisions which our 5onstitution contains for the protection of lin&uistic and cultural ri&hts of the minorities spea3 volumes about his catholicity. "andhi4s unflinchin& faith in Patel4s secularism comes out clearly in a letter of )ctober 84$ 1984$ written to him by Mahadev Desai$ durin& "andhi4s famous 81!day fast for 2indu!Muslim unity. Mahadev saidC 9<hatever may happen on 2indu!Muslim front in "u#arat$ as lon& as you are there$ (apu is at peace. If a storm occurs despite your presence$ (apu will assume that it was not possible to prevent it.9 Si,in"-u* o' )hina Patel was a realist to the core. 2e was the first to see throu&h 5hinese a&&ressive desi&ns. In a letter of %ovember 7$ 19,=$ to %ehru$ he had observedC 9 he final action of the 5hinese is little short of perfidy. he tra&edy of it is that the ibetan put faith in us$ and we have been unable to &et them out the meshes of 5hinese malevolence. 5hinese irredentism and 5ommunist imperialism are different from the e1pansionism or imperialism of the <estern Powers. he former has a cloa3 of ideolo&y which ma3es it 1=!times more dan&erous.9 Patel4s warnin& proved prophetic. <e all 3now what a humiliation India suffered at the hands of 5hinese in 1978.

Standard o' Pro-it. Patel was an embodiment of probity in public life. he only property he left comprised a few dhotis and kurtas and a suitcase. 2e did not tolerate malfeasance anywhere. ?ven a minor impropriety by his partymen was sternly dealt with. oday$ when thin&s in India are fallin& apart and the @nion is totterin&$ the national leadership ou&ht to ta3e a leaf from Patel4s boo3 and show the same constructive vision and iron will which he showed at a critical #uncture of our history.