Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said Sardar Vallabhai Patel had been deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time and that there were attempts to erase and undermine his legacy.

He was speaking after flagging off ‘Run for Unity’ event here as part of the National Unity Day, which is celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Patel.

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Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided to organize the Run for Unity in 2015 in the memory of the great leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to make the country pledge for the unity and integrity of the country.

He claimed Sardar Patel had been deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time and there were attempts to erase and undermine his legacy.

“There were efforts to erase and undermine the legacy of Sardar Patel. He was also deprived of Bharat Ratna for a long time,” he added.

Shah praised Patel for his foresight and acumen as the country’s first home minister, leading to the merger of over 550 princely states with the Union of India, resulting in national unity.

He said today India stands before the world as a flourishing, developing and a strong nation.

The home minister added that Modi has kept the memory of Sardar Patel alive by building the world’s tallest statue in Kevadia, Gujarat.

Sardar Patel was bestowed with Bharat Ratna — the country’s highest civilian award — posthumously in 1991, 41 years after his death in 1950.

Shah said it was because of Patel that the Lakshadweep Islands, Junagarh, Hyderabad and all other princely states were merged with India.

“By 2047, India will be the leading country in the world in all parameters,” he said. The home minister said the ‘Run for Unity’ is normally organised on October 31, the birth anniversary of Patel. But this year, it was organised two days ahead as Deepawali is falling on that day, he said.

“Today is Dhanteras and we are organising the run on this auspicious occasion,” the home minister said.

Patel was born on October 31, 1875, at Nadiad in Gujarat. As India’s first home minister and deputy prime minister, Patel is credited for the merger of over 550 princely states into the Union of India.

Several other dignitaries, including Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Mansukh Mandaviya, MoS Nityanand Rai, and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, were present on the occasion.