Context:

• Recently, the Indian Prime Minister paid his tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary (31st October). The Prime Minister remembered his visionary statesmanship and extraordinary dedication with ‘which he shaped the destiny of India’.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – His Role in the Indian National Movement

• Secretary: In 1917, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was elected as the Secretary of the Gujarat Sabha, the Gujarat wing of the Indian National Congress.
• Patel to Sardar: In 1918, he led a massive “No Tax Campaign” that urged the farmers not to pay taxes after the British insisted on tax after the floods in Kaira.
  • His effort to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of ‘Sardar’.
• Non-Cooperation Movement: He actively supported the non-cooperation Movement launched by Gandhiji.
• Salt Satyagraha: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was among the leaders imprisoned for participating in the famous Salt Satyagraha movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi.
  • He led the Satyagraha movement across Gujarat when Gandhi was under imprisonment, upon request from the congress members.
• Sardar Patel was freed in 1931, following an agreement signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The treaty was popularly known as the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
• Quit India Movement: In the 1942 Quit India Movement, he continued his unwavering support to Gandhiji when several contemporary leaders criticized Gandhi’s decision. 
  • He continued traveling throughout the country propagating the agenda of the movement in a series of heart-felt speeches.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – His Contributions to Post-Independence India

• First Home Minister: After India achieved independence, he became the first Home Minister and also the Deputy Prime Minister.
• Integration of States: Patel played a very crucial role in post-independence India by successfully integrating around 562 princely states under the Indian Dominion.
  • He was successful in integrating all of them barring Jammu and Kashmir, Junagadh and Hyderabad. 

Conclusion:

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a great leader, who shaped India’s destiny with his courage and dedication. The India that we see today was a result of his invaluable efforts. He is an architect of modern and unified India.