The birth anniversary celebrations of Patel all these years have been overshadowed by the observance of the death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was shot by her two Sikh bodyguards men on the same date in 1984.
The celebration, which has been christened as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, will begin on Friday with paying of floral tribute to Patel by prime minister Narendra Modi at Patel Chowk near Parliament Street at 7.30 am. After paying tribute, the prime minister is scheduled to flag off ‘Run for Unity’ at Vijay Chowk and administer the unity pledge to participants at 8.15 am.
Meanwhile, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary service would be held at her samadhi Shakti Sthal and would be attended by president Pranab Mukherjee and vice-president Hamid Ansari. The function is being organised by Nehru Centennary Committee headed by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. ‘Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2012 itself that other than that of Mahatma Gandhi, no other service function of any other leader should be organised by government,’ said Congress media department head Ajay Maken.
While talking to Millennium Post on the series of events being organised to revive the stature of great leader, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, said, ‘Recognition of Patel as foremost political thinker and administrator was long overdue. The Modi government has decided to celebrate his anniversary in a big way and this invites appreciation.’ Tiwari, who is author of an ICSSR-sponsored forthcoming book on Sardar Patel, further said, ‘India’s first home minister stood if not taller at least equal to his other much feted contemporaries.’
The intensity of the function can be gauged from the fact that government offices located in central Delhi will remain closed from 2 pm on Thursday to 9.30 am on Friday in connection with the unity run by the prime minster. With huge security in place, the government has even closed the offices located in Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament House from 10 pm on Thursday.
Apart from the prime minster, president Pranab Mukherjee will also flag off the ‘Run for Unity’ at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday to mark the birth anniversary. The residents and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s body guard, the Army Guard and the Delhi police will participate in the run.
The second-in-command union home minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend a ‘Run for Unity’ programme at Sardar Patel Statue in Nampally, Hyderabad on Friday. CBSE has also issued circulars to schools to mark the day as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
The celebration, which has been christened as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, will begin on Friday with paying of floral tribute to Patel by prime minister Narendra Modi at Patel Chowk near Parliament Street at 7.30 am. After paying tribute, the prime minister is scheduled to flag off ‘Run for Unity’ at Vijay Chowk and administer the unity pledge to participants at 8.15 am.
Meanwhile, Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary service would be held at her samadhi Shakti Sthal and would be attended by president Pranab Mukherjee and vice-president Hamid Ansari. The function is being organised by Nehru Centennary Committee headed by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. ‘Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2012 itself that other than that of Mahatma Gandhi, no other service function of any other leader should be organised by government,’ said Congress media department head Ajay Maken.
While talking to Millennium Post on the series of events being organised to revive the stature of great leader, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, said, ‘Recognition of Patel as foremost political thinker and administrator was long overdue. The Modi government has decided to celebrate his anniversary in a big way and this invites appreciation.’ Tiwari, who is author of an ICSSR-sponsored forthcoming book on Sardar Patel, further said, ‘India’s first home minister stood if not taller at least equal to his other much feted contemporaries.’
The intensity of the function can be gauged from the fact that government offices located in central Delhi will remain closed from 2 pm on Thursday to 9.30 am on Friday in connection with the unity run by the prime minster. With huge security in place, the government has even closed the offices located in Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament House from 10 pm on Thursday.
Apart from the prime minster, president Pranab Mukherjee will also flag off the ‘Run for Unity’ at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday to mark the birth anniversary. The residents and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s body guard, the Army Guard and the Delhi police will participate in the run.
The second-in-command union home minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend a ‘Run for Unity’ programme at Sardar Patel Statue in Nampally, Hyderabad on Friday. CBSE has also issued circulars to schools to mark the day as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.