NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday criticized the Congress, without naming the party, by saying that previous governments had overlooked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's legacy of nation-building.

"Some people tried to make sure the contribution of Sardar Patel is forgotten," PM Modi said at the 'Run for Unity' programme to mark the birth anniversary of the creative thinker Sardar Patel.

Despite these rigorous attempts to wipe out his legacy, the nation's youth valued Sardar Patel for his contribution towards uniting the nation, the Prime Minister asserted.

Universally recognized as the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress who came to blows alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru for nation’s independence. After the country achieved freedom in 1947, he was appointed as the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, playing an imperative role in the incorporation of several substantial states into the Dominion of India.

In the run-up to the Gujarat Assembly polls, the BJP has continually underscored how the Congress, and by the conservatory, the Nehru-Gandhi family, has allegedly nonessential outstanding Gujarati loyal, reliable, and hard-working person like Sardar Patel.

The Modi government in recent times issued an announcement that October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, should be observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) to give homage to the statesman for his contribution towards preserving and growing the unity, integrity and safety measures of the country.