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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced that a grand parade will be held every year on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, similar to the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Mr. Shah said that a special event has been organised to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, adding that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to institutionalise the annual parade from this year.
Mr. Shah said that Sardar Patel made an immense contribution to uniting the country after Independence and in building modern India. He said that since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been visiting Kevadia on October 31 each year, where a parade is held in front of the Statue of Unity.
He said that the parade is organised to honour all Central Armed Police Forces and State police forces, reaffirming the unity and integrity of the nation. The event will take place in front of the Statue of Unity, which symbolises national unity, he added.
The Union Home Minister said that this year, the Run for Unity is being organised on a much larger scale across all States, Union Territories, district police stations, schools, and universities. “After the run, every citizen will also take the Unity Pledge for the unity and integrity of the nation,” he said.
Mr. Shah said that to mark Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Bharat Parv will be held at Ekta Nagar from November 1 to 15, coinciding with the birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
He said that Bharat Parv will culminate with a grand celebration of tribal culture and programmes on November 15. “This will showcase the cultural diversity, food, costumes, crafts, folk art, and music of tribes from across the country,” he said.
Mr. Shah said that Sardar Patel was “not just an individual but an ideology for the nation.” He described Mr. Patel as a leader completely devoted to the country, who played a key role in the freedom struggle and became an organisational pillar of the movement alongside Mahatma Gandhi.
Recalling Patel’s leadership of the Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928, Mr. Shah said it was during this movement that Mahatma Gandhi conferred upon him the title of “Sardar.”
He said that after Independence, the British left the country divided into 562 princely states, and the task of uniting them appeared impossible. “Within a short span of time, Sardar Patel accomplished the monumental task of integrating all 562 princely states, and the map of modern India that we see today is the result of his vision and efforts,” Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister said that Patel resolved one challenge after another, including the police action in Hyderabad and the integration of Junagadh. “Whether it was Bhopal, Kathiawar, Travancore, or Jodhpur, Sardar Patel addressed every issue with determination and even foiled Pakistan’s attempt to create a corridor through Indian territory,” he said.
Mr. Shah said it was unfortunate that after Sardar Patel’s demise, the Opposition left no stone unturned to erase his legacy. He noted that Patel was awarded the Bharat Ratna after a delay of 41 years, which he attributed to the Opposition’s lack of regard for him.
He added that no memorial or monument was built in honour of Sardar Patel until Narendra Modi, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, conceptualised and built the Statue of Unity.
Mr. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the salute of the grand parade to be held on October 31 morning at Ekta Nagar.
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