Gujarat has given India three towering personalities in Gandhi, Patel, Modi: VP Radhakrishnan

New Delhi: Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said Gujarat has given India three towering personalities in Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also said that character, not birth, determined whether an individual was good or bad.

Speaking during a visit to Harijan Sevak Sangh at the historic Gandhi Ashram here, where he inaugurated the Mahadev Desai Library Extension, the Vice-President highlighted the reciprocal relationship between the individual and the society, according to a statement.

While individuals often overlook the role society plays in shaping them, every individual has a duty to give back to the society, he said, underlining that service to the society is both a moral obligation and a pathway to nation-building.

Radhakrishnan lauded the contributions of Gujarat to the nation, expressing gratitude for three towering personalities it has given India -- Mahatma Gandhi for the nation's freedom, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for national unity, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country's development.

The Vice-President also visited the Kasturba Museum located within the Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi stayed during their visits to Delhi in the 1930s and 1940s, the statement said.

Describing the visit as deeply emotional, Radhakrishnan said walking through the Ashram, including the simple home and kitchen used by Kasturba Gandhi, offered a powerful reminder of the austere lives led by India's leaders.