Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary.
"My tribute to dear leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary. It is founding fathers like him who have created our beautiful nation. We must unite to conserve the spirit of India," Gandhi said in a Facebook post.
A host of Congress leaders also remembered India's first home minister who played a crucial role in the integration of several princely states with the Union.
The BJP has been accusing Congress of ignoring the legacy of Sardar Patel.
The Congress put out several tweets on its official Twitter handle remembering Patel and paying him rich tributes.
"A symbol of unity, a symbol of strength, a symbol of devotion to our motherland, Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, gave his everything for the progress and prosperity of our people. Today, we pay our heartfelt tribute and pledge to walk by the great legacy he left behind," Congress said on Twitter.
"Our Sardar, much like our Mahatma, left behind a path of non-violence for us all to follow. Even deviating a little from this path is a great dishonour to their memory," the party said in another tweet, using the hashtag "SardarVallabhbhaiPatel".
Several Congress leaders including Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and party chief whip Jairam Ramesh, chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, party whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore also remembered Patel and paid him tributes.
"Remembering the unifier of the nation, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his punyatithi. His efforts towards the integration of India bear testimony to his leadership. The people of India are indebted to him for his role in the freedom struggle & his statesmanship after Independence," Kharge said on Twitter.
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