Continuous efforts being made to 'misappropriate' Patel's legacy: Congress

Congress president Kharge said, 'Respectful tributes to the Iron Man of India, the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country, former Congress President and our idol, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji

The Congress on Thursday paid its tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary and alleged continuous efforts are being made to "misappropriate" his legacy by those whose "ideological gurus" opposed the Quit India Movement and criticised the Constitution.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Respectful tributes to the Iron Man of India, the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country, former Congress President and our idol, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji, who made an independent India a complete country, on his birth anniversary."  "Sardar Patel's personality and thoughts will always inspire the coming generations to serve the nation," he said on X.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi remembered Patel as the leader who tied the country together in a thread of unity and integrity.

"His footprints that united India and established love and brotherhood in the country always guide us," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh hailed him as a pivotal figure in the freedom movement and shaping the creation of post-1947 India.

"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is an immortal part of the nation's history. He was also a stalwart Congressman. Continuous efforts are being made to (mis)appropriate his legacy by those whose ideological gurus opposed the Quit India Movement in which the Sardar was jailed for almost three years and who criticised the Constitution, a key committee of which was chaired by the Sardar later," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"This only exposes the insecurities and hypocrisy of the (mis)appropriators," he added.

Ramesh said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who inaugurated a bronze bust of Patel in Godhra on February 13, 1949. An inscription below the bust also bears out this fact, he said.

The bust had been installed by local Congressmen in Godhra, because this is where the Sardar had started his legal practice, he said.

"Nehru had come to Godhra after laying the foundation for the educational township Vallabh Vidya Nagar near Anand - named of course after Sardar Patel. At Godhra, Nehru spoke of how averse he was to the unveiling of statues, especially for living personalities - but that he had made an exception in the case of Sardar Patel, because they were the closest of colleagues and because of the Sardar's unique contributions to the making of Independent India," Ramesh said.

"This is among the very few, if not the only, busts of Sardar Patel erected when he was alive," he said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X gave her tributes to "one of the architects of modern India."  "From India's freedom struggle to the creation of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji's contribution is an example of service and dedication towards the country," she said.

The Congress, on its official X handle, said Patel will always continue to inspire the people of the country.

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India's struggle for Independence.

Renowned for his exceptional leadership and unyielding commitment to national integration, he is fondly remembered as the "Iron Man of India." He died in 1950.