Chandigarh, Oct 31 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said Sardar Patel’s contributions in integrating more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union was “immense”, adding that he did “great work” for the unity and integrity of the country.
Paying tributes to Patel, the country’s first home minister also known as the ‘Iron Man of India’ on his 149th birth anniversary, Saini said he laid the foundation for national unity.
Since 2014, Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary is being celebrated as the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ or National Unity Day.
Addressing the participants who took part in the ‘Run for Unity’ at a state-level event held in Kurukshetra to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, the chief minister said Patel was a leader with great administrative skills besides being a great nationalist.
Saini also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision to abrogate Article 370, thereby fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union.
The prime minister has completed Patel’s remaining work for the nation by scrapping Article 370, he said.
Saini also lauded Modi’s efforts in commemorating Sardar Patel’s contributions in various spheres, saying the installation of the iconic Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district, now the world’s tallest statue, will inspire the coming generations with Patel’s ideals and principles.
Apart from Kurukshetra, ‘Run for Unity’ events were also organised across the state in which several state ministers took part.
These events aimed to strengthen the feeling of national unity and integrity, Saini said.
The Kurukshetra ‘Run for Unity’ event saw the participation of a large number of people from all walks of life. It began and concluded at the Dronacharya Stadium, following a route through the Mini Secretariat, Panch Chowk and Jindal Chowk. PTI SUN ARI
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