'Misappropriation by ideology that had no role in freedom movement': Congress jabs BJP-RSS on Patel birth anniversary

New Delhi: Taking a swipe at the BJP-RSS on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, the Congress on Friday said selfless icons would have been horrified by their misappropriation by an ideology that, in the words of Patel himself, had created an atmosphere that made the ghastly tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination possible.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at the Modi government and claimed that since 2014 especially, history has been subject to brazen misrepresentation and distortion by "G2 and their ecosystem".

"Today as a grateful nation celebrates Sardar Patel@150 we must also recall that on February 13, 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru had unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel in Godhra, where the Iron Man of India had started his legal practice. Nehru's speech on that occasion must be read and re-read to get an insight into their powerful and profound partnership of over three decades," Ramesh said on X.

"In a message on the eve of Sardar Patel's 75th birth anniversary, Nehru had said '[F]ew persons can have such a long and notable record of service to their credit as Sardar Patel has had. Even so, he is at the helm of affairs, vital to the nation and carrying a great responsibility...I look back on thirty years of comradeship and intimate contact with him in national activities. It has been a period full of ups and downs and great happenings and all of us have been tested to the utmost. Sardar Patel has emerged from these ordeals as a dominating figure on the Indian scene, to whom vast numbers look for guidance. May he be spared long to us and the country'," he said.

On September 19, 1963, the then President of India Dr. S Radhakrishnan had unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel at a prominent roundabout in New Delhi, close to Parliament House and the office of the Election Commission, Ramesh pointed out.

Nehru was also present then and had chosen the simple but powerful inscription for the statue as the "Architect of India's Unity", he said.

Ramesh further recalled that on October 31, 1975, the-then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had presided over the concluding function of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Birth Centenary Year and had paid a fulsome tribute bringing out his many distinctive achievements and contributions.

It still makes for compelling reading, he added.

"Since 2014 especially, history has been subject to brazen misrepresentation and distortion by G2 and their ecosystem," Ramesh said.

"Selfless icons would have been horrified by their misappropriation by an ideology that had no role whatsoever in the freedom movement, in the making of the Constitution, and that, in the words of Sardar Patel himself, had created an atmosphere that made the ghastly tragedy of January 30th, 1948 possible (Source: letter of Sardar Patel to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, July 1, 1948)," the Congress leader said in his post.

Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Patel was a pivotal figure in India's struggle for Independence.

Renowned for his exceptional leadership and unyielding commitment to national integration, he is fondly remembered as the "Iron Man of India." He died in 1950.