Overview
- India marked Rashtriya Ekta Diwas with nationwide events capped by a ceremony at the Statue of Unity, where a parade commanded by women officers was reviewed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Modi said Jawaharlal Nehru stopped Sardar Patel from fully integrating Kashmir and urged a decisive drive to remove ‘infiltrators’ while vowing to eradicate Naxal–Maoist terror.
- At Ekta Nagar, the prime minister linked present security policies to Patel’s unification mission and highlighted recent operations showcased during the parade program.
- Modi announced a commemorative coin and special postal stamp honoring Patel’s 150th birth anniversary.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ in New Delhi and said Kevadia’s unity parade will be held annually, as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge cited Patel’s 1948 letter to call for a ban on the RSS.