Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel shared mutual respect as comrades in the Independence movement and disciples of Mahatma Gandhi.
Imagine former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unveiling a bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and laying the foundation stone of a university town named after him. That too when Sardar Patel was alive and an active colleague of Nehru with whom he had mutual differences.
But such events do not fit the current poisonous propaganda on social media about Nehru versus Patel. So, these are unlikely to be recalled or highlighted.
Yes, Patel and Nehru differed. They had different and, at times, opposite opinions on key issues. They even thought of separating more than once. This has been milked by the BJP-RSS groups beyond limit. But this wasn’t the whole story. They also shared mutual respect as comrades in the Independence movement and as disciples of Mahatma Gandhi.
It might surprise WhatsApp consumers in India that Nehru unveiled a bronze bust of Sardar Patel in the town square of Godhra. He offered a glowing tribute to Sardar in his speech and said, “Sardar Patel is a valiant fighter in the cause of freedom… Having won freedom, he is now engaged in retaining it. He has changed the map of India”. (‘Maintain Secular Nature of State’, The Times of India, 14 February 1949, P1) He also “deprecated the suggestions in some quarters that there was lack of understanding” between them. He said “there was hardly a day or night when he (Nehru) did not take counsel from the Sardar”.
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Addressing the people gathered at the venue, Nehru said it was “rather embarrassing” for him to make a speech on the occasion as “his association with Sardar Patel for the last 30 years had been close and intimate… Both of them, jointly, had taken great decisions in regard to Partition and other major questions”. (TOI report, 14 February 1949).
(Naamdaar was used as honorific for high officials) | Khandubhai Parmar
Godhra was the place where Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel started his legal practice. After unveiling the statue, Nehru also laid the foundation stone of a town hall. Eventually, it was constructed at a cost of “Rs two lakh collected from among the people” and was opened by then-railway minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on Sardar Patel’s birthday, 31 October 1954. (‘New Town Hall Opened’, TOI, 1 November 1954, P9)
Before going to Godhra by a special train from Anand, Prime Minister Nehru laid foundation stone of the Vallabh Vidyanagar, a university town named after Sardar on the same day. “The site of the new township almost borders on the nearby village of Karamsad.” (‘Foundation of University Town Laid near Anand’, TOI, 14 February 1949, P1) Detailed report of Pandit Nehru’s speech at this event, which appeared a day later, said, “The Prime Minister was really happy to observe the good work done at Vallabh Vidyanagar… He was happy that Vallabh Vidyanagar would provide… opportunity to Indian youths so that not only could they earn their livelihood while being educated but could also attain practical efficiency through work.” (‘Important Role of Rural Universities in India’, TOI, 15 February 1949, P9)
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Nehru unveiled one more statue of Sardar Patel after the latter’s death. During his visit to Baroda on 7 December 1952, he “unveiled a bronze bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by pressing an electric button. The bust was installed at Sardar Bhavan, local Congress Party office”. (‘Sardar’s Bust Unveiled’, TOI, 8 December 1952, P9)
And, Sardar Patel was equally if not more generous in paying tribute to Nehru. On the occasion of Nehru’s 59th birthday, Patel said in the Constituent Assembly, “Mahatma Gandhi chose Pandit Nehru as his political heir and it was very gratifying to see that the choice fell on the right person”. Patel added, “Nehru was truly following the ideals set by Gandhiji and had raised the status of India in the counsels of nations in the world.” He also noted they “moved like brothers and were associates for over 30 years”. Nehru reciprocated by saying “but for Sardar Patel’s affection and advice, he would not have been able to run the state”. (‘True Disciple of Mahatma’, TOI, 15 November 1948, P9)
Then a “touching scene” followed. Two leaders “rose to garland Pandit Nehru. Sardar Patel took the garland from his (sic) hand and himself garlanded Pandit Nehru and embraced him”. (TOI report, 15 November 1948)
Sardar Patel’s daughter Maniben Patel who also worked as his secretary remembered the relationship between the two when both were living on York Road, Delhi. “In the days when they were living opposite to each other, seldom a day passed when they didn’t meet. At 1 pm, while coming home for lunch or while going back to office or at night, Jawaharlalji would drop in. Both of them would chat, then Sardar would accompany him till gate while chatting still continued, and sometimes he would accompany him till (Pandit Nehru’s) residence.” (From Maniben’s article ‘Sardar’ in Centenary Memorial Volume. Ed: Jaswant Shekhadiwala, Sardar Patel University, P94)
Maniben Patel also observed that “some hurdle-happy sycophants tried to create misunderstandings between them when Jawaharlalji shifted from York Road residence to Teen Murti.”
Also read: The political dynasty nobody is talking about: Sardar Patel’s
But the projection of Patel-Nehru differences has served political ends well for the BJP and the RSS. The Congress also contributed to the stories of divide by distancing itself from Sardar for long.
Amid all the excitement over the new Statue of Unity that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, it is historically important to remember the other Sardar statues that Nehru unveiled – in Godhra and Baroda.
Urvish Kothari is a senior columnist and writer in Ahmedabad.
Wish translation of Urvish’s piece appears in a mainstream Gujarati daily. The radio commercials on SoU are distasteful. One belittles Statue of Liberty by emphasising that its height is half that of SoU. Another describes Sardar as the man who made the Englisg ” get out” ( am quoting the precise phrase).
The Print has brought a totally false and incorrect story about Nehru and Patel. It was Patel who was against Art. 370 but Nehru persisted. Sardar wanted to annexure Nepal to India as Nepal requested but Nehru wanted a buffer state. Patel had backing of whole Congress but Gandhi picked up Nehru. Nehru stadium Socialism and thereafter followed by Indira took Indian economy back by 50 years where as China went ahead. Nehru was not practical but Patel was practical. He wanted all Muslims to go to Pakistan but Nehru wanted to make India a secular state. Whatever problems we see in today’s India are because of Nehru and useless economic policy of Congress. Today’s Congress is a crass shit under the leadership of Rahul who himself is a criminal for looting Indians money thru National Herald. Nehru and Patel were very good friends but they differed on key issues facing India. The Print shall before publishing any article do some research.
Nehru unvieled the statue but town was completed after Patel died and that opened by Lal Bahadur. If you closely watch Nehru’s and Patel’s mind , you can understand that after Gandhi’s death, some of the politicians (don’t know who was behind that) alleged that because if Patel’s inefficiency Gandhi was killed. Patel could not take that allegation. Then Nehru came to his rescue and said he is backing Patel. Patel was forced to he obedient to Nehru as required by Gandhi when Nehru is made PM.
Only the print will try to highlight a bust of Patel in this way. We know what your priorities are. Till date what have the Politicians from the time of Independence done for the COMMON MAN. The Politicians has done everything for themselves and their coterie. It is only now that a semblance of change is happening in the country and there will be a lot of teething problems and opposition to the changes. But from now on People will definitely question and react.
Why then people do not remember that statue today? A routine type statue like that of many others was made, can have little impact on public mind. Why sardar was not given Bharat Ratna for so many years? Why Nehru did not name as many roads and Yojnas in Sardar’s name. Why his biggest contribution of unifying the fragmented India was not given enough importance by our Left minded Historians who controlled the historical narratives with the support of Nehru. Before Modi came to power, how many people knew Sardar’s contribution in modern India?
It is because of Modi and his endeavour the tallest statue of Sardar has been made to attract the public towards his one of the tallest stature during his era. So that the current generation take interest to dig in to the past to know the true history and decide themselves about every leader of that era without any prejudice.
Absolutely right. Congress always only REACTS. Never ACTS by itself. Whether it is ‘Surgical strikes’ or anything else; it is always “We did it too” refrain. They only do patch up jobs or announce schemes but never follow up anything properly to its due conclusion. But they are prompt in condemning anything that Modi/NDA does, saying that Modi is just giving new names to THEIR schemes. Before the giant statue was put up, you could not have got ONE Congressman to remember that they had installed this (sorry looking, neglected) bust of the Sardar. Hypocrisy, always Hypocrisy.
Is it not also relevant to ask why NO congressman knows this or even remembers it? ‘THAT’ is why Modi doing this now is significant. Congress never really cared for Patel. They only wanted the spotlight on one member or the other of the ‘Dynasty’ all the time. At the moment, it is Raga.
Nehru nominated himself for Bharat Ratna and hot it. But he never bothered to confer Bharat Ratna on Patel.
Paradox of Politics nothing but legpulling of each other…..
You CAN’T deny that due to NEHRU’S INTERFERENCE SARDAR miss the BUS to BECAME THE FIRST PM… Of independent INDIA…
Over the past four years, NaMo and his partymen have lost no opportunity to brand Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as the villain and the rule of the Congress party to be a wicked on the contention that Sardar Patel was neglected all these years!!!
Well, one has to laugh at such a notion since every other town and district headquarters in Gujarat besides the major metropolitan cities have had numerous memorials dedicated to Sardar Patel in the form of streets, roads, squares, parks, stadia, public function halls, educational institutions etc.
All these did come up during the regime of the Congress party that ruled the state for over a decade and half ever since this state was formed in 1960.
Hence the needless anti-Nehru comments and denouncing of the Congress party by NaMo and his BJP happen to be hoodwinking tactics of the saffron brigade.
So much so, reportedly, this very NaMo had led an agitation against the naming of Ahmedabad airport after Sardar Patel.
The less said the better about such gimmicks…