New Delhi: The Delhi Legislative Assembly on Thursday commemorated the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with a symposium and an exhibition celebrating his role in uniting India. Governor of Bihar Arif Mohammad Khan, Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra, and Administrator of Swaraj Ashram Niranjanaben Kalarthi attended the event.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said, “Unity is not created by bricks and stones, unity arises from emotion and emotion arises from thought.” He described Patel’s integration of 565 princely states as “a historic act of statesmanship, a task comparable to that of Bismarck in Germany, or perhaps even greater.” He added, “To fulfil the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a developed and leading nation, we must constantly recall and reawaken the ideals for which Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel dedicated his entire life.”
Speaker Vijender Gupta said, “The strength of a nation lies not in its might, but in its unity of hearts and purpose.” Paying tribute to the Iron Man of India, he said Patel’s courage and foresight “transformed a divided land into one sovereign nation” and urged citizens to “rededicate themselves to preserving the unity Sardar Patel built and the values he embodied.”
Niranjanaben Kalarthi said, “It is a matter of pride for the whole world that Sardar Patel did not let even a single drop of blood be shed while uniting 562 out of 565 princely states.” She recalled him as “a man of compassion and humility” who treated every leader “with fatherly affection.”
Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra hailed Patel’s legacy as a “symbol of India’s strength and unity,” adding that “as long as there exists even one true son of Mother India like Sardar Patel, no force can ever divide this nation.” An exhibition titled “Sardar Patel and the Journey of India’s Unification” displaying rare photographs and documents was inaugurated on the occasion.