Sardar Patel spearheaded India’s fight for freedom under the
leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. His contribution in making the Congress a strong
organization by mobilizing masses into its fold and engaging them in
constructive work remains unique to this day.
Immediately after independence he played a vital role in
reorganizing administrative structure of India; for he established the two All
India levels services namely, the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian
Police Service. Further, his role in making the Constitution of India as Jan Samvidhan [People’s Constitution] is
praiseworthy. He was the Chairman of three important committees which
recommended for provisions for the Indian Constitution, namely: the Fundamental
Rights’ Committee, the State Constitution Committee and the Committee for
Minorities. Partition of undivided India into two nations created serious
problems of law and order. Patel took these problems head on resolved them with
amazing felicity. Migration of population and relief and rehabilitation of
those who were coming from the parts of newly established nation of Pakistan
were the most daunting of challenging facing Sardar Patel. Once the border
lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed over to the nation of
their choice. From India 7, 226, 000 people went to Pakistan, and from Pakistan
7, 250, 000 people moved to India after the announcement of division. This
cross migration was a huge task and Sardar Patel worked day and night to
deliver goods. In the process he took some out of the box decisions and
implemented them with iron hand. This saved the Indian nation in many ways.
In brief, the accomplishments made by Sardar Patel in a short
period of less than four years [1947 to 1950] have no parallel in the entire
Indian history. Perhaps such examples are not available even in world history.
Dedication for the nation, sincerity and vision were his hallmarks. Whenever
and wherever necessary, he took lightening decisions with great foresight,
keeping national interest first and foremost. Hence the opening sentence of
this presentation that without Sardar Patel the history of contemporary India
is not complete.
II
Above all the most herculean and astonishing task that Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel accomplished was the vast political integration of India, which
is unprecedented in the annals of India’s long and chequered history.
In fact, soon after his arrival as the last British Viceroy
to India, Lord Mountbatten announced the independence of the country along with
its partition into two –India and Pakistan on June 3, 1947. This partition was
slated to be completed by August 15, 1947. The most important and challenging
task before India then was the geographical integration of the country. Around
560 odd and scattered princely states consisting of total area of 6, 00, 000
square miles were to be merged into the Union of India in a short period of
just 72 days, i.e. by August 14, 1947 and that too in a volatile
socio-political situation. There were four major problems that India faced at
that point of time:
·
Newly created Pakistan’s policy of grabbing as
many states as possible by taking advantage of flux situation was a great
threat to India’s territorial integrity. Pakistan pined for States of Junagarh
and Hyderabad most obtrusively. Jinnah’s move of bargaining with the rulers of
states, especially of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, was also inimical to India’s
interests;
·
Separatist
forces which desired India to be a weak nation had started so-called people’s
movements in the name of religion and regional identity. This was most evident
from incidents in Punjab and northeastern parts of the country;
·
Most of
the officials in the higher echelons of government services were English who
had already left for their native place. Therefore, administration was
inefficient and phlegmatic at the most critical hours of the nascent freedom;
and
·
False vanity of some of the rulers of states to
maintain their own separate kingdoms, as evident from their moves and misdeeds,
was impeding the process of integration.
In such a situation, seventy-two years old Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel, without caring much of his health, took the challenge of a gigantic task
with indomitable courage and firm determination. He asserted emphatically, “Now,
when we have arrived at the door of long-awaited freedom, we cannot take any
more risk for our nation –cannot compromise for its unity and integrity.”
He
worked day and night and finally accomplished the much-awaited task of
political integration of India in a short period, that too largely in an
atmosphere of harmony, co-ordination and co-operation. The name of VP Menon is
worthy of mention here as member of Patel’s dedicated team of workers. It was
undoubtedly a task that has no parallel in the world history. Dr. Rajendra Prasad had rightly said, “The great tasks that Vallabhbhai
Patel accomplished have no other example in the history of our nation, and not
even in the history of other nations of the world.”
India was never ever integrated politically to
such a large scale in colonial as well as pre-colonial period of her history. Even
after the division that carved out a new nation Pakistan out of it, India remains
largest politically integrated land mass ever in her long history of ups and
downs. For this, undoubtedly, the credit goes exclusively to the mature and
razor sharp statesmanship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The
State of Junagarh [comprising of total area of 3336 square miles] came within
the fold of the Indian Union due to Sardar’s able and exemplary non-violence-based
diplomacy while the State of Hyderabad [containing
area of 1, 00, 465 square miles in total, equivalent of France] became a
part of India on sheer strength of his unwavering
political will. The State of Jammu and Kashmir [holding total 84, 471 square
miles of area] became part of India only due Sardar Patel’s policy of
implementing political decisions into quick action.
India
must be a strong nation and it should be safe internally and externally, both.
Each and every citizen should contribute towards unity, integrity and
development of the nation. Everyone must
get equal opportunity to rise. Along with this, there should be no compromise
with nation’s unity and security. All activities related to separatism, segregation
and regionalism are dangerous. They should not be allowed. Rather, they should
be met with firm and speedy action. All efforts should be made towards this end
by overcoming of differences of ideas and perceptions with the spirit of
national unity. This was Sardar’s socio-political approach. In his own words, “No one would be permitted to try to damage the unity,
security and integration of India. People and organizations indulging in
separatist activities should control themselves and get into the mainstream as
soon as possible. If they do not do so then there would be no hesitation in
taking hard steps against them.”
On the basis of his sanguine nationalist ideas Sardar Patel
could integrate India, which would be remembered by his compatriots for long
time to come. Moreover, we can learn a lot from his ideas and work-ethos to
keep India united and find our due place at international level, and trough
this to contribute to peace and prosperity all over the world.
