Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ from Rajpath on Friday morning to commemorate independent India's first Home Minister and his hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 139th birth anniversary.
The event, which saw the participation of a large number of people including school children, was celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or national unity day. The PM was joined by Cabinet Ministers and several prominent sports personalities including cricketer Gautam Gambhir and boxer Sushil Kumar.
Earlier, Mr Modi said, “Sardar Patel’s life was a journey of service to the motherland and he was truly the architect of modern India.” “Sardar Patel’s life is a journey of deep-rooted courage, dedication and service to the Motherland. The country which forgets history can never create history and go forward, so for a country filled with aspirations, a country whose youth has dream, we should not forget our personalities of history.... country should not divide history and legacy according to our ideologies,” he added.
PTI reports
PM receives Patel memorabilia
Plates, cups, saucers and other items used by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were on Friday handed over by their custodian to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The personal belongings were presented to Mr. Modi at his residence by Sheila Ghatate of the Delhi-based Manjiri Trust, a PMO statement said. These items had been willed to Ghatate by Bipin Dahyabhai Patel, grandson of Sardar Patel, and his wife Lui, the statement said.
“These items are a unique part of India’s heritage,” Modi wrote on his Facebook page.
