Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 31 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the 'Run for Unity' race on the occasion of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel's birth anniversary on Monday and said that Patel defeated the British's strategy to divide India and he tied India into unity.

"Run for Unity is being organized in more than 600 districts across the country, this race is being organized in all 75 districts of the state. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel defeated the British's strategy to divide India and he tied India into unity and united all 543 princely states to form present-day India," said CM Yogi.

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Calling Sardar Patel, the architect of the integrity of independent India, CM Yogi added, "It is happening for the first time inside the country that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's name has been taken to the fore. The princely states of Hyderabad and Junagadh kept trying to separate but they could not succeed because of Sardar Patel."

He also stressed values and ethos of Patel and said, "The country in which there is a great hero like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, that country cannot kneel in front of terrorism, separatism, and corruption. Today you must be seeing that separatism, and extremism are ending in the country, today Kashmir is connected with the mainstream and the constitution is being followed. If an enemy ever dares to invade India, then the citizens of India would stop him."

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Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi also paid tribute to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his birth anniversary in the national capital today. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)