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15th December is the death anniversary of the first Home Minister of independent India “Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel”.
Sardar Patel did make several public speeches during his long political career, and his views on various subjects are still relevant today as they were to the new Independent India.

Sardar Patel’s views on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

● He believed that many members of the RSS were patriotic and their energies could be used for the nation's welfare, but he was clear that they have to swerve to the Indian Constitution and could have no place in the official state instrument.

● The Home Ministry headed by Sardar Patel announced the ban on the RSS after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948.

○ He said that the ban could be lifted but only when the RSS agreed to his conditions, such as giving up secrecy, drafting a constitution for the organisation, and showing loyalty to the Indian Constitution and National flag.

● Patel in an interview said that “Young men of RSS are brave, resourceful and fearless, but they are a little mad. I wanted to utilise their bravery, power and courage and cure them of their madness by making them discover their true responsibilities and duties for the welfare of the nation. It is their madness that I want to eradicate.”

● Patel was clear that government servants could not join the RSS; he believed that no one in an official position should have links with communal organisations.

Sardar Patel’s views on Minorities

● Patel believed that those who saw themselves as Muslims first had the option of choosing Pakistan. Those who were now in India had the duty to “forget the classifications of minority-majority and move forward as one”, and trust the “good sense and sense of fairness of the majority”.

● During a speech in the Constituent Assembly, Patel said that “It is in the interest of all to lay down genuine foundations of a secular State, the majority must have to think about what the minorities feel, and how we in their position would feel if we were treated in the manner in which they are treated. In the long run, it would be in the interest of all to forget that there is anything like majority or minority in this country and that in India there is only one community.”

● In a speech after Gandhi’s assassination, Patel said, “The first requisite for building a strong, free India is unity and peace. Therefore, we must, first of all, adjust our differences and behave in such a manner that there is complete harmony and peace in the country… The government has been dealing with the RSS movement. They want that Hindu Rajya or Hindu culture should be imposed by force. No Government can tolerate this. There are almost as many Muslims in this country as in the part that has been partitioned away. We must understand that they are going to stay here and it is our obligation and our responsibility to make them feel that this is their country.”

Sardar Patel’s views on China

● In 1950, Patel wrote a letter to Nehru detailing his concerns about Chinese strategies in Tibet and about India itself. Patel wrote, “We have to consider what new situation now faces us as a result of the disappearance of Tibet, as we knew it, and the expansion of China almost up to our gates. Throughout history, we have seldom been worried about our northeast frontier. The Himalayas have been regarded as an impenetrable barrier against any threat from the north. We had friendly Tibet which gave us no trouble. The Chinese were divided… China is no longer divided. It is united and strong”

○ Patel wrote that Chinese ambitions did not only cover the “Himalayan slopes on our side but also include the important part of Assam.”

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950) Started his public life journey as a peasant leader.
Meeting with Gandhi, in 1917 brought a radical change in Patel and guided him into the Indian independence struggle.
He entered into the freedom movement through successful satyagrahas in Bardoli and Kheda.
He supported Gandhi's movement, also recruit members and raise funds, and Supported Gandhi's controversial suspension of resistance in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident.
In Gujarat, he worked against alcoholism, untouchability, and caste discrimination, for the empowerment of women.
- ‘Sardar’ title after Bardoli satyagraha in 1928.
Patel's key achievement was the building of cohesion and trust amongst the different castes and communities, which had been divided along socio-economic lines.
Patel was elected president of Congress for its 1931 session in Karachi – Ratified the pact and committed himself to the defence of fundamental rights and human freedoms, and a vision of a secular nation with a minimum wage and the abolition of untouchability and serfdom.
His role in United India
- As the first Home Minister, he played a key role in the integration of the princely states into the Indian federation.
- He is also known as the Founding father of the Republic of India; he played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation.
- He acted as Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Indian army during the Political integration of India and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.
  - Organized relief efforts for refugees fleeing from Punjab and Delhi and worked to restore peace across the nation.
- Employing frank diplomacy with the expressed option to deploy military force, Patel persuaded almost every princely state to accede to India
- Patel was a key force behind the appointment of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as the chairman of the drafting committee, and the inclusion of leaders from a diverse political spectrum in the process of writing the constitution.
- Patel was the chairman of the committees responsible for minorities, tribal and excluded areas, fundamental rights, and provincial constitutions.
- He worked closely with Muslim leaders to end separate electorates.
His Contribution to Administration
- He established the modern all-India services system.
- His commitment to national integration in the newly independent country earned him the title of "Iron Man of India".
- Patel was conscious of the fact that independent India needed a steel frame to run its civil, military, and administrative bureaucracy.
- It was Patel who sent the Indian navy to the port of Lakshadweep at an appropriate time, as Pakistan was equally keen to occupy the strategically important islands.
- He almost single-handedly prevented this balkanization from happening
- Patel took the lead in organizing relief and emergency supplies, establishing refugee camps, and visiting the border areas with Pakistani leaders to encourage peace.
- He restructured the Indian bureaucracy after the transfer of a large number of officials to Pakistan, integrated the princely States into the Indian union, and had an important role in shaping the Indian Constitution

Relation between Patel-Nehru-Gandhi

Patel and Gandhi grew close to each other, and the two developed a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness.
Patel was intensely loyal to Gandhi, and both he and Nehru looked to him to arbitrate disputes
Patel clashed with Nehru, opposing declarations of the adoption of socialism at the 1936 Congress session, which he believed was a diversion from the main goal of achieving independence
Patel supported Nehru's decision to withdraw the Congress from central and provincial legislatures, opposite to Gandhi's advice
He was one of the first Congress leaders to accept the partition of India as a solution to the rising Muslim separatist movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.