Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhai Patel on the occasion of his birth anniversary being celebrated across the country as “Ekta Diwas” or “National Unity Day”.  The Prime Minister attended a CRPF parade in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat where Sardar Patel’s grand ‘Statue of Unity’ is located.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said, “The people coming to Ekta Nagar not only get to see this grand statue but also get a glimpse of Sardar Saheb’s life, sacrifice and his contribution in building one India. The story of the construction of this statue itself reflects the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat – Shrestha Bharat’.”

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Highlighting the country wide celebrations of Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary, PM Modi said that lakhs of people are participating in ‘Run for Unity’ across the country and are taking part in it through cultural programs.

“When we see this flow of unity among 140 crore Indians, it seems as if the ideals of Sardar Saheb are running within us in the form of the resolve of ‘Ek Bharat-Shrestha Bharat’…” he added.

Modi said that the Unity Day celebrations on October 31 and the events at Red Fort on 15 August and Republic Day Parad at Kartvya Path have become the three power of the India’s upliftment.

“In a way, the form of mini India is visible in front of me today. The state is different, the language is different, the tradition is different, but every person present here is united. It is connected with a strong thread…The events at the Red Fort on 15th August, the parade on 26th January at Kartavya Path and the Unity Day Celebrations at the banks of Narmada have become the three powers of nation upliftment,” he said.

The PM further highlighted the steps he has taken to unite the country and mentioned the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and removal of colonial era symbol from Indian Navy’s flag.

“India has removed the slavery symbol from its naval flag. Unnecessary laws made during the era of slavery are also being removed. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has replaced IPC. Where once there was a statue of a representative of a foreign power at India Gate, now the statue of Netaji Subhash is inspiring us…Who thought that Article 370 would be removed from Jammu and Kashmir? Today Kashmir is free from terrorism. The wall of Article 370 between India and Kashmir has been removed and the people of Kashmir have come out of the shadows of terrorism..,” he said.