Associating Sardar Patel to a party injustice to the leader: Modi

Gujarat CM also takes dig at Congress, asks it to stop votebank politics and follow secular vision of Iron Man of India

In yet another attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi said that nation is always above any party and to associate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with any single party would be injustice to the architect of modern India.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Patel -- The Statue of Unity-- in Kevadia, Modi also took dig at the Congress and asked it to stop vote bank politics and follow the secular vision of Iron Man of India.

Modi's oblique reference was to Singh's remark on Tuesday where he had said that Sardar Patel was a member of Congress party and his vision was secular, in reply to BJP prime ministerial candidate's provocative remark that India's fortune would have been different had Sardar Patel been the first prime minister of India. Statements made by the duo had raged a political war between the Congress and BJP over who owns the legacy of Sardar Patel.

"Were Maharana Pratap, Rajguru, Sukhdev BJP members? Will we only remember BJP members? Nation is above any party. To associate Sardar Patel with any party would be great injustice. Yes, it (Congress) was a part of his life, we all accept that, but his greatness was far beyond," Modi said after laying foundation of the Statue of Unity in Kevadia.

Referring to Prime Minister Singh's remark about Sardar Patel on Tuesday Modi said, "PM said one very right thing. He said Sardar Patel was truly secular. We also say we need Sardar Patel secularism and the not votebank secularism of Congress. We need the secularism of Sardar Patel which integrated the nation not divide it."

Modi further said that Babasaheb Ambedkar was like a God to the Dalit community, but no one asks which party he belonged to but his life inspires many. "Party can be any but our hearts must be for the nation and for every great leader our nation has produced," Modi added.

He asked why there was not controversy when his government built Mahatma Mandir "At that time did anyone challenge us -- Modi you are in BJP and Gandhiji was never in BJP. So then why this problem for Sardar Patel?"

Modi said after Chanakya, Sardar Patel was the one who integrated the nation. Talking about the significance of the Statue of Unity Modi said, "This is not because of dam or because Sardar Patel was from Gujarat. The dream is much bigger. It will draw world to India. It is important to do our global positioning."

"We need to emerge as a strength in the world and there are various ways of doing it," he added.