Jodhpur, Dec 8: Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled an 11-ft tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Jodhpur, Rajasthan today.
On this occasion, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and many other dignitaries were present.
Shah said that Sardar Patel is a page of history to which history and the nation both failed to do justice.
He mentioned that the virtues, sacrifices, hard work, and foresight of a great man like Sardar Patel are benefiting the country today, but he did not receive the proper recognition and respect earlier.
Shah said that for decades, a party steeped in devotion to one family never even built a memorial of Sardar Patel.
He highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored Sardar Patel by constructing the world’s tallest Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat.
Shah said that India can never forget the qualities and contributions of Sardar Patel. He mentioned that Sardar Patel was a person who never cared about fame or recognition and took on the challenges faced by the country, freeing it from them.
Shah said that if Sardar Patel had not existed, more than 556 princely states would not have been unified, and the map of India as we see it today would not have existed.
He emphasized that it was Sardar Patel’s contribution that allowed India to stand united as the Indian Union.
Shah pointed out that Sardar Patel played a significant role in bringing several princely states of Gujarat and Rajasthan out of various conspiracies and integrating them with India.
Amit Shah said that the 11-ft tall statue of Sardar Patel, weighing 1,100 kilograms, is made of several metals and has been placed on an 8-foot-high pedestal.
He stated that even though the statue’s height is 11-ft, its fragrance would spread for ages.
He added that it was Sardar Patel who persuaded the Maharaja of Jodhpur to merge the princely state of Jodhpur into India.
Home Minister also noted that Sardar Patel converted the Jodhpur Airbase into a strategic airbase, contributing to India’s security.
