New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday praised India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, saying he played a great role in uniting the country after Independence.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a function to mark the birth anniversary of the 'Iron Man of India' Sardar Patel at the local Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
On the occasion, Modi also flagged off a 'Run for Unity' from the venue on the occasion and administered an oath of unity to the crowd.
The Narendra Modi government started celebrating October 31 as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) ever since it came to power in 2014.
"Today, the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is under one flag... its credit goes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," Modi said addressing the gathering.
Patel, as the first Home Minister of India, was instrumental in integrating 564 independent princely states into the Union of India after India's Independence from British rule in 1947.
The day was also celebrated as the 'Martyrdom Day' of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
The Prime Minister said the British, before leaving the country in 1947, had ensured that India splits into small states.
"While leaving the country, the British had played politics to divide India into numerous small states, but Sardar Patel made sure that it stays one nation," he added.
Modi said that every Indian wants to see India as a strong country, and to ensure this, the people must stay alert against divisive forces.
"Lots of powers are working to break India. They are trying to create confusions amongst the people. We must stay alert against this," he said, adding that every citizen has to play a role in it.
The Prime Minister said that every Indian wants a strong and developed India, but to strengthen India the first condition is unity.
Saying that the "feeling of 'Bharateeyata' (Indianness) keeps us one", Modi told a pulsating crowd chanting "Modi, Modi" that the unity of the country is very important for it to move forward.
Earlier in the day, Modi also unveiled a postal stamp commemorating Sardar Patel.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Sports Minister Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha and Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung were also present on the occasion.
Speaking earlier, Rajnath Singh said that we should denounce casteism, regionalism, communalism and separatism to become one and united.
Naidu said that it is a popular feeling that if Sardar Patel had become India's first Prime Minister, India would have shaped up very differently.
Later, the Prime Minister inaugurated the digital museum on the life of Sardar Patel at Pragati Maidan here and asked people to make it a point to visit it.
Taking a jibe at the subsequent Congress-led governments at the Centre since Independence, Modi said that such museum should have been set up 40-50 years ago and Sardar Patel should given the due importance long back, but it was not done due to "unknown reasons".
"History will question them (Congress) for this," he added.
The Prime Minister also launched the "Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat" initiative to promote greater awareness among people of various states about one another, thus promoting the spirit of 'Unity in Diversity'.
Six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between two states each were also signed on the occasion under this initiative.
