British Gujarati member of Parliament Priti Patel delivered the keynote address at a Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) commemoration event in honour of Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at India House in London this week.
On her first day in the House of Commons as the shadow secretary of state for foreign affairs, the former Indian Diaspora Champion joined the diaspora gathering organised by the Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK. It follows celebrations in India, where Home Minister Amit Shah has declared a two-year-long programme to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel – known as the Iron Man of India for his role in creating a united nation at the conclusion of the Independence struggle against British colonial rule and in the aftermath of Partition in August 1947.
Priti Patel said: “This iconic figure promoted equality and being a champion for empowerment, standing up for people and values, living standards, ending caste discrimination, dealing with the princely states in the most extraordinary diplomatic way.
“Sardar Patel was one of modern India's founding fathers and the first minister for home affairs; and I have to say, when I became home secretary over four years ago, I knew that I was following in very remarkable footsteps… as a Patel in our own country.”
National Unity Day is celebrated annually in India to coincide with Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary on October 31.
Lord Rami Ranger, Chair of the Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK, said: “We pay tribute to this visionary leader, who could foretell that unless we unite, India would not have the gravitas that we have today.
“Unity of the country was paramount for Sardar Patel… he was truly a remarkable leader and statesman.”
The event at Gandhi Hall in India House attracted a broad range of British community leaders including Mayor of Slough Balwinder Dhillon and veteran parliamentarians and philanthropists.
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Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, noted: “We honour his legacy. We honour his service, and most of all, we give grateful thanks as a nation for the country that we live in and the great special partnership that his years as a student in this country enabled us to forge with the United Kingdom.
“We may have parted as separate countries, but Sardar Patel ensured that we lived as friends and as equals; by making us a nation that would stand on our own feet, he made us a nation that was able to be equal to anybody, including the United Kingdom. This is what we in this country, this diplomatic mission, have particular pride in being able to celebrate.”
