When India gained independence on August 15, 1947, the British left behind a fractured subcontinent that included more than 560 princely states. Without geographical unity, its hard-won freedom would have been hollow. With vision, determination, and an unyielding will, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister, forged these scattered principalities into a single nation, giving independent India its shape and strength. However, the efforts of this great unifier did not receive the recognition he deserved.

Decades later, Narendra Modi recognised this omission and took decisive steps to preserve and celebrate Patel’s legacy. Today, the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity, stands as a monumental tribute to Sardar Patel, symbolising the nation’s commitment to honouring the legacy of India’s Iron Man.

Coming from Gujarat, the home state of Patel and inspired by his life, the ideals of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” were deeply embedded in Modi’s thoughts and actions from an early age. During the struggle against the Emergency, he had the opportunity to work alongside Maniben Patel, Sardar Patel’s daughter. As the general secretary of the Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti, which spearheaded the anti-Emergency movement, Modi played an active role in several of Maniben’s initiatives, further strengthening his connection to Patel’s legacy.

Sardar Patel’s leadership and administrative acumen were frequent themes in Modi’s lectures as an RSS pracharak, where he urged volunteers to draw inspiration from the former’s spirit of nationalism. Modi’s........

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