Overview
- BJP president J P Nadda launched the second-phase Sardar @150 Unity March, including the Ganga Pravah Yatra, at a New Delhi event on Saturday.
- He alleged that Congress governments ignored Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s contributions for decades and delayed conferring the Bharat Ratna during the 1950–1991 period.
- Nadda credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with elevating Patel’s place in public memory, citing the Statue of Unity project in Kevadia as emblematic.
- Framing youth engagement as the “real tribute,” he urged mobilization for nation-building and highlighted Patel’s role in integrating 562 princely states within two years of independence.
- Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya echoed the theme of Congress downplaying Patel, event organizers noted the 565-state figure often cited, and leaders including Sunil Bansal, Virendra Sachdeva, and Satish Upadhyay attended.