India News | UP Guv, CM Unveil Sardar Patel's Statue on His Birth Anniversary

Lucknow, Oct 31 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday unveiled a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Raj Bhawan here and paid glowing tributes to the leader on his birth anniversary.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875 in Gujarat's Nadiad. He is credited for the merger of over 560 princely states into the Union of India.

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On the occasion, the UP Governor noted that Mahatma Gandhi had said that had Sardar Patel not been with him, it would have taken another 10 years to get independence, a Raj Bhavan release stated.

"The British thought that despite independence, a united India would not take shape as there were 562 states and their rulers were not ready to give up. But it was the impact of Sardar Patel's personality that gradually the rulers of these states relented and a united India started taking shape," the Governor said.

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Anandiben Patel and Yogi Adityanath also visited an exhibition of photos and documents on Sardar Patel organised by the culture department. A book on the great leader was also released on the occasion.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)