BJP's attempts to adopt Congress 'stalwart' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel shows it has no freedom fighter of its own, says Priyanka Gandhi

New Delhi: Describing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as a stalwart of the Congress who was strongly opposed to the RSS, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she felt happy seeing the BJP’s attempts to “adopt” the “Iron Man of India” as it showed that the saffron party did not have a great freedom fighter of its own.

Her attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came on a day the government organised a series of events across the country to mark the birth anniversary of Patel, the first home minister of the country.

“Sardar Patel was a stalwart of the Congress who was devoted to the ideology of the party,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

सरदार पटेल कांग्रेस के निष्ठावान नेता थे जो कांग्रेस की विचारधारा के प्रति समर्पित थे। वह जवाहरलाल नेहरू के क़रीबी साथी थे और RSS के सख़्त ख़िलाफ थे। आज भाजपा द्वारा उन्हें अपनाने की कोशिशें करते हुए और उन्हें श्रद्धांजलि देते देख के बहुत ख़ुशी होती है, क्योंकि भाजपा के इस.. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/5yBAsN6VRz

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 31, 2019

He was a close companion of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country, and was strongly opposed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, the Congress general secretary said. “Today, seeing the BJP trying to adopt him and pay tributes to him gives a lot of happiness, because two things are clear from this action of the BJP: 1. It has no great freedom fighter of its own. Almost all of them were associated with the Congress. 2. Even enemies have to bow before great men like Sardar Patel one day,” she added.

..ऐक्शन से दो चीज़ें स्पष्ट होती हैं:

1. उनका अपना कोई स्वतंत्रता सेनानी महापुरुष नहीं है। तक़रीबन सभी कांग्रेस से जुड़े थे।

2. सरदार पटेल जैसे महापुरुष को एक न एक दिन उनके शत्रुओं को भी नमन करना पड़ता है।
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— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 31, 2019

Since 2014, every year on 31 October ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ or the National Unity Day is observed to pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel – an Indian politician who played a pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle and then during the integration of the country.

To commemorate Patel, the new government which was formed at the Centre in 2014 decided to celebrate 31 October as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas – in an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.