NEW DELHI, October 31 (Aalimi Nation) – The country marked Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day, on Saturday on the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying floral tributes at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat and leaders in the capital honouring India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.

Modi offered floral tributes at the 182-metre Statue of Unity at Kevadia in the morning. In a post on X, he called Patel "the architect of Akhand Bharat and the Iron Man of the nation". In a separate message, the Prime Minister said Patel "dedicated his life to building a strong, prosperous and capable India".

In New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan paid floral tributes at the Sardar Patel Chowk statue. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also paid their respects, according to official accounts of the day.

Shah flagged off the Run for Unity at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the capital. He said Patel "not only transformed the nation's history but also shaped its geography", and that India's standing in the world rests on the foundations Patel laid. Shah also pointed to the Kheda and Bardoli Satyagrahas as examples of public service.

Several states held similar runs. Government offices, schools and colleges organised unity pledges, cultural programmes and awareness activities, official announcements said.

The Congress shared an archived video of Patel addressing the need for communal harmony. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said Patel had turned a fragmented landscape into a united Bharat, adding that his work carried particular significance for Telangana, which joined the Indian Union in September 1948.

According to the announced programme, Modi was scheduled to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects in the Statue of Unity area, with a combined outlay of Rs 426.71 crore. The Ekta Parade, featuring contingents of the Central Armed Police Forces and state police forces, was also on the schedule, with the Prime Minister expected to attend the evening celebrations at around 5.30 pm. A cultural festival, Bharat Parv, is due to run at Ekta Nagar from November 1 to 15. The outcome of the evening events was not available at the time of writing.

Born on October 31, 1875, Patel was a barrister and freedom fighter who became independent India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. He is credited with the integration of more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union, which earned him the title "Iron Man of India".

The Union government observes his birth anniversary as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, when officials and citizens take a pledge to uphold the unity, integrity and security of the country. The Statue of Unity, standing on Sadhu Bet island facing the Narmada Dam in Kevadia, was inaugurated by Modi on October 31, 2018, on Patel's 143rd birth anniversary. At 182 metres, it is described as the world's tallest statue.

The Ekta Parade and the Prime Minister's evening programme at Ekta Nagar are the remaining main events of the day, followed by Bharat Parv from Sunday.