PM Modi to lead parade on 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade near Kevadia in Gujarat on October 31 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country.

Built around the theme of ‘Unity in Diversity’, the event will be held at Ekta Nagar, nestled between the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges in Gujarat where Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity was inaugurated in 2018, Border Security Force Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary said on Friday (October 24, 2025).

Unlike previous years when the parade was static, this year it will be a moving parade and will also include tableaux from different States. The DG added that the guard of honour would be given by women police personnel.

Another government official said that the Chief Ministers of all States have been invited for the programme, while the public can also attend by registering online.

Showcasing unity

The DG said that the annual celebrations of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31 reminds the country of the pivotal role that Sardar Patel played in the formation of an independent India and uniting 562 princely states. October 31 is also the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“This year, the parade will feature five Shaurya Chakra awardees from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 16 gallantry medal winners from the Border Security Force (BSF). The CRPF personnel participated in anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand and counter-terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the BSF personnel who will be part of the parade were part of Operation Sindoor on the western border,” Mr. Chaudhary said.

Alongside the parade, a cultural programme organised by the Union Ministry of Culture will showcase 900 artists performing India’s classical dances, highlighting the rich diversity of India’s culture.

“The parade will showcase the theme of how our country, despite having so many languages and different cultures, stands united,” the DG said.

Indian dogs to show skills

He added that this year’s National Unity Day parade will include contingents from the BSF, CRPF, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), along with police forces from Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The parade will also feature cavalry and camel-mounted contingents, demonstrations by indigenous dog breeds, and various martial arts and unarmed combat drills.

“This year’s parade will also feature a marching contingent comprising exclusively Indian breed dogs of the BSF. Indigenous dog breeds — Rampur Hounds and Mudhol Hounds — will demonstrate their skills. These breeds have made significant contributions as force multipliers during BSF operations and around 150 dogs are currently deployed for patrolling along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders. They are also deployed in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and have been trained to detect narcotics,” the DG said.