Who is known as Iron Man of India ?

On October 26, at a meeting held in Nehru’s house, Patel promised Mehr Chand Mahajan, the Prime Minister of Maharaja Hari Singh, that India will extend her unwavering support to Kashmir.

During the Non-Cooperation Movement he toured the country and recruited 300,000 members and collected Rs 15 lakhs towards the party fund.

His support to the Non-cooperation movement and Gandhian ideals of satyagraha, aided by his oratory skills – short but straight from the heart, would mark the beginning of mass participation in the Indian freedom struggle.

He led the Satyagraha in Nagpur in 1923 against the British law banning the hoisting of the Indian flag.

He was a great orator, leader and unifier who in the absence of Mahatmaji kept the spirits of the satyagraha.

Patel negotiated a settlement, which involved the release of prisoners and hoisting of the national flag in public.

In 1922 a session of the Indian National Congress, when Sardar Patel a separate enclosure for the Dalits, instead of occupying a seat earmarked for him in the main enclosure, he straightway proceeded to the enclosure meant for Dalits and sat there and delivered his speech from that enclosure.

During the Bardoli Satyagraha, Sardar Patel consulted with large number of women to prepare the strategy of the Satyagraha and brought them into the lexicon of politics.

Sardar Patel’s support to the Hindu Code Bill brought out his commitment to the rights of women and their empowerment, by ensuring every citizen was treated equal.

In June 1947, when he was suggested that India should be declared a Hindu state, with Hinduism as the official religion, Sardar Patel rejected the suggestion.

Sardar Patel strongly endorsed Mahatmaji’s vision for a Secular India, and said “we must not forget that there are other minorities whose protection is our primary responsibility “. In 1950, he declared that “Ours is a secular state and we cannot fashion our politics in the way Pakistan is doing it.

Here every Muslim should feel that he is an Indian citizen and has equal rights as an Indian “.

Sardar Patel banned the RSS after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. In a letter to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee written on 18 July, 1948, Sardar Patel said “as [a] result of the activities of these two bodies [the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha],

particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible.

There is no doubt in my mind the extreme section of Hindu Mahasabha was involved in this conspiracy.

Sardar Patel was a man of principles. A fierce nationalist, he never believed in compromising with his core philosophy of ‘nation first'.

The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the Government and the State.

Patel did not hesitate in using the policy of ‘Saam-Daam-Dand-Bhed' ( friendship, give-and-take, punishment, and divide-and-rule ) for achieving his objective. Such was his resolve and craft that princely states were left with no other option but to merge with India.

In 1949, a mob descended upon the Babri Masjid, chased away the muezzin, installed an idol of Ram in an attempt to claim it as a temple.

Even Mahatma Gandhi believed that it was only Patel who could take up the challenge of unifying the hundreds of princely states. Reposing confidence in Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi told him, "the problem of the States is so difficult that you alone can solve it".

Sardar Patel wrote to the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, GB Pant, that “there can be no question of resolving such disputes by force”. Patel opined that “such matters can be resolved peacefully if we take the willing consent of the Muslim community with us”

He was polite to those who were reasonable and willing to play ball. He was tough with those who were reluctant and had their own designs. He did not hesitate in sending army wherever it was necessary

Mahatmaji gave the Congress a programme for broad-based action. Sardar Patel built up the Party machinery to carry out that programme, ensuring the wide participation of masses.

He was polite to those who were reasonable and willing to play ball. He was tough with those who were reluctant and had their own designs. He did not hesitate in sending army wherever it was necessary

He realised the pivotal role of a party machinery in the struggle for freedom, something that went unnoticed before him.