Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India] October 31: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Monday said that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel should have been the first awardees of Bharat Ratna- country's highest civilians’ award.
"There was a question to give Bharat Ratna to Sardar Patel. I think that if there was anyone who should have been awarded Bharat Ratna first, it would be Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," said Amit Shah, while addressing a public meeting here.
Talking about the remarkable contribution of Sardar Patel towards the progress of India, Amit Shah asserted it was because of Patel that India is rising today.
"After independence, Britishers wanted to divide the country in more than 300 principalities. We got independence, whole world believed; even people had questions what would happen to the country now. Will this country be divided? But Sardar with his patience unified all principalities and worked to make one united India. It is because of this, our country is developing today."
The 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel is being celebrated across the nation as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day).
The BJP president Amit Shah is at present on a five-day tour of the Himachal Pradesh state ahead of the Assembly elections, which will be conducted on November 9.
