Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2026: Nation Remembers Sardar Patel on 151st Birth Anniversary; PM Modi Calls Him “Architect of Akhand Bharat”
President Murmu, Vice President Radhakrishnan and Amit Shah paid tributes at Sardar Patel Chowk in Delhi, while PM Modi was due at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia.
India is marking Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day, on Saturday, 31 October, the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Tributes in Delhi and Gujarat
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other dignitaries offered floral tributes at Sardar Patel Chowk in New Delhi on Saturday morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, described Patel as “the architect of Akhand Bharat and the Iron Man of the nation”, adding that his sacrifice and dedication remain a deep source of inspiration in building a developed and self-reliant India. The Prime Minister was scheduled to pay floral tributes at the 182-metre Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, later in the day.
Vice President Radhakrishnan said Patel’s legacy stands as lasting proof of the strength of national unity, and that the country remembers his huge contribution to nation-building with gratitude.
The unity pledge
Government offices, schools and citizens across the country take the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge to protect the unity, integrity and security of the nation, and many institutions hold “Run for Unity” events. In Gujarat, the Bharat Parv festival is being held from 1 to 15 November under the theme “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”.
Why 31 October
Born in 1875, Patel was a barrister, freedom fighter and statesman who led the effort to bring more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union after Independence, using a mix of negotiation, diplomacy and firm action. The government began observing his birth anniversary as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas in 2014. The Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, was unveiled on this date in 2018.
Featured image: The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat (2024). Photo: Prime Minister’s Office, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India (source).
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