Gopalkrishna Gandhi has brilliantly portrayed the lofty qualities of Sardar Patel and his firm commitment to the Congress and the nation (“Sardar Patel, a shared inheritance”, October 31). The freedom struggle under the Mahatma’s watch produced leaders of great standing and stature for whom honesty, sincerity and integrity were the prime words. But where do present day Congress leaders stand today? There has been such an erosion of values in the party that there are very few leaders with an impeccable reputation. While the Congress has not given Patel due recognition, the BJP is attempting to hijack his legacy in its anti-Nehruvian sentiments. Patel cannot be a pawn in this political game. He was a tall and great leader with outstanding qualities and a firm adherence to values. Political leaders across the spectrum should try to emulate him instead of dragging his name to serve their narrow purposes.
R. Ramanathan,
Coimbatore
If India has emerged as one of the tall nations of the world, a citadel of democracy and a super-economy in the offing, it has been significantly due to Sardar Patel’s non-violent silent revolution in enabling the ‘political integration’ of princely states with the Indian Union. Hard-won independence came with many problems such as communal riots and a refugee crisis. Patel effectively prevented the Balkanisation of India and achieved it without civil unrest, bloodshed or rebellion.
It is well known that Patel had differences with Nehru but he never allowed them to surface so as to affect nation building. A grateful India must salute the Iron Man.
R. Sampath,
Chennai
