Rajnath urges nation to 'strengthen' unity

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday paid his tribute to country's first home minister Sardar Vallabbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, and urged people to make strenuous efforts to strengthen the unity of India.

"Despite India being a culturally diverse nation since many years, the architect of modern India without a doubt is Sardar Patel. During India's fight for independence, he also made efforts to join the farmers with the freedom struggle and was successful. For this contribution only, the farmers gave him the title, 'Iron Man'," Singh said here at the 'Run For Unity' event at Rajpath.

"Today, on this day we all should pledge that despite all the differences, we should make efforts to strengthen the unity of this country," he added.

Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 'Run for Unity' on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

Before flagging off the Run for Unity, the Prime Minister paid rich tributes to the 'Iron Man' of India.

At a function attended by Rajnath Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, he also remembered former Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her Sikh guards on this day in 1984.

"Sardar Patel's heritage cannot be forgotten. He contributed immensely to India's unity," said the Prime Minister.

"After the great Chanakya, it was Sardar Patel who strung India together with unity," he added.

The Prime Minister pitched the Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat initiative saying it was the nation's responsibility to make India a great nation, just as Patel had united the country.

"We have to walk arm-in-arm for this purpose," he added.

Before the speech, Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to Sardar Patel, visiting his statue at Patel Chowk.