President, Prime Minister pay tributes to Sardar Patel

President Pranab Mukherjee paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the occasion of his 141th birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

The President and his staff paid floral tributes at Vallabhbhai Patel's portrait in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered floral tributes at Sardar Patel's statue at Patel Chowk in Delhi on Monday morning.

He tweeted: "I bow to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary. We recall his rich contribution to India."

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu accompanied Modi.

In his 25th Mann Ki Baat radio address to the nation on Diwali, Modi urged the nation to promote unity and equality.

"Tomorrow we are celebrating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary. He worked to bring everyone together, he worked for unity, fought for unity and brought unity amongst people and we all must remember it," Modi said on Sunday.

Modi said: "He gave us a united India, and to keep it united is our responsibility."

Also, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Delhi's Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to Patel.

Kejriwal said that the country will remain obliged to him forever.

"Sardar Patel ki janma tithi par unhe shat shat naman. Desh unka sada rini rahega. (Tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary. Nation will remain ever obliged to him)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Official account of Gandhi tweeted: "My tribute today to Sardar Patel - a Congress stalwart, who strove for communal harmony & dedicated his life to the unity & progress of the nation."

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, a small village in Gujarat. He was conferred with the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, in 1991 for his leading role in the freedom movement and later for integrating the princely states into a united nation.

The day is being celebrated as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day) in remembrance of Independent India's first Home Minister, who is popularly known as Iron Man of India.

--IANS

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