NEW DELHI: : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that efforts were made to erase and undermine Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy and he was deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time.
Flagging off a ‘Run for Unity’, ahead of the birth anniversary of Patel, he said it was due to the foresightedness and acumen of the country’s first home minister that over 550 princely states were merged with the Union of India and the country became united.
He said it was because of Sardar Patel that the Lakshadweep Islands, Junagarh, Hyderabad and all other princely states were merged with India.