The nation should rightly honour its stalwarts, particularly those who have taken part in the Freedom Movement and the nation-building process thereafter. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was independent India’s first home minister and deputy prime minister. His singular efforts helped in the annexation of the princely state of Hyderabad then ruled by the Nizams – a ‘mini Pakistan’ in the midst of India – shortly after the first nationalist government took charge. Patel did this despite hesitation from his all-powerful Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He carried the task forward when he later sent in the army to take over Goa from the Portuguese rulers. Notably, he achieved both the national goals without shedding a single drop of blood. United India owes much to Patel, just as it does to its first prime minister.
Leaders like Sardar Patel blazed a trail that is not seen in the country today. His reputation was squeaky clean and he was also a no-nonsense administrator. India’s history in the post-Independence era would have been largely different and possibly less inspiring had Patel not been present prominently in the first government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru. His valiant efforts helped in unifying India from the mess that the British rulers had left behind in 1947.
The Statue of Unity, fashioned on the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York, is the brain-child of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Inspired by what he saw in the US during his first visit there as an RSS pracharak, Modi broached his idea of having a similar statue in the name of Patel in Gujarat when he was state chief minister in 2010. The works were initiated three years later – the precise time when he started the BJP-led bid for the PM’s post. The Rs 3,000 crore statue standing tall at 180 ft high, with its accompanying settings near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, is not far from the meeting points of three states – Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh; another fitting demonstration of the ideal of unity.
However, even a noble project has its pitfalls. Reportedly several tribal farmers had to be relocated to make way for the mega statue. Six villages – Navagam, Waghariya, Limdi, Kevadiya, Kothi and Gora — immediately around the Sadhu Bet, the location of the ‘Statue of Unity’ are badly affected. Of these, Waghariya has lost all of its land, while Kevadiya village has lost about 90% of land. This does not auger well for a country with a huge population that is living from hand to mouth.