ROLE OF SARDAR PATEL IN THE UNIFICATION OF INDIA

PALAK TRIPATHI

BBA JULY 2018-21 SECTION A

REGISTRATION NO. 180101410129

THE VARIOUS REASONS THAT LED TO THE PARTITION OF INDIA..............................................3

SARDAR PATEL’S ROLE...............................................................................................................4

PRE-INDEPENDENCE...............................................................................................................4

POST- INDEPENDENCE...........................................................................................................6

UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT SARDAR PATEL................................................................................8

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................9

BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................10

JOURNALS & ARTICLES.........................................................................................................10

BOOKS..................................................................................................................................10

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INTRODUCTION

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the Iron man of India has contributed immensely
towards integrating 565 princely states into a completely new independent India. He was born
in Nadiad, Gujarat and was considered as an extremely skilled and fierce lawyer.

In the initial stages of the freedom movement, neither was he active in the affairs of politics
nor in following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, however, after meeting Gandhi in
Godhra he was extremely influenced by him and became his diligent follower. He became the
member of the Congress party as well as the secretary of the Gujrat Sabha. Sardar Patel, quit
his job and joined the movements such as the movement to fight for the removal of taxes in
Kheda (1918) as well as the Non- Cooperation Movement (1920) on Gandhi’s call. He also
led the Satyagraha Movement while Gandhi was imprisoned. He always advocated the
formation of a secular nation. After Independence, he was elected as the first Deputy Prime
Minister of India and later as the Home minister of India. He worked towards regenerating
peace by providing relief for refugees fleeing from Punjab to Delhi. As a tribute to Sardar
Patel for his efforts in unifying India, Jawaharlal Nehru called him “The consolidator and the
builder of India.” However, unfortunately, his contribution was only for a period of 3 years as
he passed away in 1950, after a heart attack. In spite of his ill-health, he played a key role in
the unification of around 565 princely states into the Indian Union. He believed in having a
systemized bureaucracy and an organized army for which he emphasised on the All- India
Services like IAS. 12/15 members of Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) were in favour of
Patel being the President of Congress because of his appealing individual qualities however,
Gandhi did not approve of the same. He wanted Nehru to be elected as the Congress
President and as Patel always willingly followed/ obeyed Gandhi’s orders he withdrew his
nomination for the same, as asked by Gandhi. Patel was always a follower of Gandhi and
loyal towards him.

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THE VARIOUS REASONS THAT LED TO THE PARTITION OF INDIA

There were several reasons that led to the partition of India with the 3 parties mainly being
responsible for the same – The British, The Congress and The Muslim League. The well-
known policy of “Divide – and - rule” was adopted by the British according to which the
people were categorized on the basis of their religion and were treated differently from each
other based on the same. The British were afraid of the potential threat from the Muslims as
they had ruled over India for around 3000 years under the Mughal empire. To gain their trust,
support and confidence the British helped the Muslims in the establishment of the
Mohammed Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh as well as supported the All India Muslim
Conference both of which were the creation of Muslim League and which also led to
emergence of ideology of Pakistan. With nationalism on one side, the communal conflicts
were witnessed simultaneously which were solely based on religious identities. The Muslims
believed that only if they educate themselves and cooperate with the British government they
will be able to survive in the society and gain better government positions like the Hindus,
however, this was a completely wrong and misleading notion. On the other hand, the Hindus
rallied for the abolition and ban of slaughter of cows, which is considered as a sacred animal
as per religious beliefs, and other sources of meat for the Muslims. There were apparent
difference of opinions between the Congress and the Muslim league, which confirmed the
latter that their survival in an undivided India after the freedom from the colonial rule would
be impossible.

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SARDAR PATEL’S ROLE

PRE-INDEPENDENCE
Around the early 20’s, the Standing Committee of the Chamber of Princes was formulated
which maintained a close contact with the Political Department and discussed the various
issues. The settlement of disputes between the states or between the state and the provincial
government or the government of India was done in accordance to the procedure
recommended by the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, accepted by the Government of India.
The effortful process of establishing direct relationship between the states and the
Government of India took a considerable time to complete.

The role of Sardar Patel is commendable, incomparable and unique. The particular time
period from 1919-1950 is also known as the “Patel Era” in the Indian politics. This era
symbolised great nationalism and ambitions. This period/era revolved around the
determination to fight for freeing India from the British rule with a dedicated focus on the
principles of Gandhi. It can be clearly witnessed from the actions of Sardar Patel, that the
mission of his life was a slavery-free undivided India. It is not known by many that Sardar
Patel was one of the main people involved in drafting the Constitution of India. He
introduced some main provisions in the Constitution as well as analysed the important
sections of the Constitution with his main focus on the “fundamental rights.” Not only did he
vehemently oppose the proposals of the Cripps’ Mission but was also later arrested and
imprisoned during the Quit India Movement.

He formulated an opinion after a careful analysis that the poor peasantry could be improved
only by following the Gandhian principles. He believed that the standard of living of the
peasants should be improved as they were the soul of India as well as focused on agricultural
development. He was misunderstood by many as unity and conservation formed the core of
his thinking as well as actions. Although he was considered as an Anti- Muslim by the
Muslim League, ironically, he was completely against the ideology of discrimination between
the Muslims of India and the Hindus of Pakistan, he urged to treat every individual equally.
The main reason he agreed on the partition of India was to avoid civil war. He wanted to
achieve “Internal Swaraj”, which meant the withdrawal of discrimination on the basis of
caste, creed or religion, removal of untouchability, the unity of all the citizens of India with a
new perspective towards life.

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Sardar Patel only wanted the Indian Muslims to be loyal to the country, however, no Muslim
leader except Rafi Ahmed Kidwai was willing to abide by it. In spite of the same, Patel’s
attitude towards Pakistan was of a well- wisher. He wanted to help the state with the
expectation of reciprocity, however, only the threats of “Jehad” were received.

Sardar Patel was one of the first leaders of the Congress party to accept the partition of India
because he analysed that this was the only solution to the movement lead by Muhammad Ali
Jinnah of the rising Muslim separatist. He wanted to stop the communal riots undertaking
because of the same and also was aware of the fact that Jinnah enjoyed popular support
among the Muslims and if he initiated a conflict with him the same could lead to a Hindu-
Muslim civil war. He worked with V.P. Menon, who suggested that Muslim-majority
provinces should be used to create a separate dominion of Pakistan. Nobody had foreseen the
disastrous consequences of the partition. The death toll is estimated around 1 million in spite
of Patel ensuring the availability of emergency supplies. He protected the Muslims when he
heard that a large group of Sikhs were planning to attack Muslim convoys, he called it as an
act of shame. Sardar Patel was not only dedicated towards maintaining peace by his
individual orders and actions but also tried to convince other national leaders in doing the
same. He ensured that if peace is maintained by all, the government of India will take strict
actions against Pakistan if they fail to do so or interrupted the peace of India. Following his
orders diligently, no further attacks were initiated against the Muslim refugees and peace was
maintained. Despite the rigorous steps taken by Patel he was also widely criticised however,

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Gandhi’s speech defending him publicly helped him again widespread admiration and
support.

POST- INDEPENDENCE
Patel gained popularity in the post-Independence era mainly because he took charge of the
unification of the princely states into Indian Union. He is known as the man who united India.
More than 565 princely states were given three options; either to join Pakistan/India or
choose Independence. The fear of atomization/ fragmentation was observed among Indian
nationalists and mass public if these states did not accede. Patel was considered as the most
reliable man by the Congress as well as senior British officials, for the task of conquering the
princely states by the Indian domain. V.P. Menon had previously helped Patel during the time
of partition of India therefore Patel asked him to become his right- hand man. Soon after,
Patel began meeting the princes, trying to make them change towards dialogue with the
government prevent conflicts. He used the tactic of socialising to engage most of the
monarchs. He gained their confidence by ensuring that there was no conflict between the
princely states and the Congress party. While he was being soft in his approach to convince
the states he made sure to not lose his force, a deadline of 15th august was given before which
the states were to make their informed decision and sign the petition. Except Jammu and
Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagadh all the states willingly merged into the Indian Union.
Among the three, Junagadh was the most important for Patel as it was his home state and also
had the ultra-rich Somnath temple built in. The Somnath Temple had a history of being
destroyed several times in the past and the story of its resurrection from ruins would be

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representative/ symbolic of the story of revitalisation of India. Therefore, Sardar Patel, vowed
to rebuild the same. Dr Rajendra Prasad, also said in one his speeches that “ The power of
reconstruction/rebuilding is always greater than the power of destruction.” This is one of the
instances where Sardar Patel’s role in unifying India at all levels has been portrayed.

The problem of unifying 562 princely states with a democratic, secular, socialist and self-
governed India was an extremely challenging and delicate task. However, it was necessary to
save/protect India from balkanization, once the Paramountcy of British rule would revert.

An iron handed policy was generated by Patel as he sensed the immediate and imperative
need of the unification of the princely states. He stated that no state within India, will be
considered as independent or in isolation. He invited the Princes, in the national interest, to
join in the formulation of a democratic constitution. He also influenced them to give up the
foreign, defence and communication affairs in the hands of the Indian government. By his
tactics, he was successful in breaking the union of separatist princes. The three- fold process
of assimilation, unification and centralization was implemented by Patel. The states were
consolidated to form a union and the same was fused with the Union of India.

The Nawab of Junagarh, wanted to accede to Pakistan to which the people repelled, however,
Patel interfered and dealt with the same. He handled the Junagarh and Hyderabad crisis as a
seasoned solon. As a result, the government of India took over the administration by merging
it with India through plebiscite. Patel ordered the army to march into Hyderabad in order to
control the aggressive actions of the Nizam. The Nizam expressed the feelings of Anti- India
by letting loose of the Razakars to which Patel dealt with police action. As a result of Patel’s
action the Nizam’s surrendered and Hyderabad was acceded to India.

The police action under Patel’s orders in Hyderabad was popularly known as the “Operation
Polo.”
The approach of Sardar Patel and VP Menon was different from that of Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru as it was more conciliatory. Nehru declared that any princely state that declines/refuses
to join the Constituent Assembly shall be treated and considered as an enemy however, on the
other hand, the official policy statement of the Government of India by Patel made no such
menace. It not only reassured the states about the intentions of the Congress party but also
invited them to join the Independent India.
Patel was aware of the fact that only reorganization in terms of politics was not enough. He
was also conscious that the civilization of India was wounded and needed to be aroused to

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core and woken up from the past trauma of grief, misery and slavery. To arouse among the
citizens of India the bond that they shared and the beauty of diverse culture, was the need of
the hour.

UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT SARDAR PATEL

 He played a major role in the creation of IAS

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CONCLUSION
Sardar Patel’s contribution in the process of freedom and unification of India has been
notable and extraordinary. Not only was he an inspiration during the period of struggle in
history but also in the current scenario. In the true sense, he can be termed as a self-made man
who firmly believed in the betterment of the country and was an unbiased nationalist solon.
His ideologies of consolidation have laid the very foundation of unity in the country. His
contributions were recognised through a number of prestigious awards. A leader who kept
nothing above the interests of the nation, selfless and who shaped the destiny of India with
his devotion. As the country marches ahead, every Indian should remember the invaluable
contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. As a tribute to the invaluable man, iron was
collected from all over the country to build his statue because he is popularly known as “The
Iron Man Of India.”. Although his contributions in unifying India as well as selfless acts
towards all the communities are known by all, he is a man of knowledge is not known by
many. His idea of setting up of the Kiara District cooperative milk producers union, proved to
be an economic boost for the dairy farming throughout the country. He was against people
remaining idle. Sardar Patel was loyal to Gandhi, but it is a myth that he always blindly
followed him. A lot of times Gandhi and Patel disagreed but Patel always relied on making
an informed decision which shall benefit all.

He is a leader every Indian looks up to.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
JOURNALS & ARTICLES
 https://indianexpress.com/article/research/unification-of-india-apart-vallabhbhai-patel-
also-had-a-role-in-drafting-the-constitution-4915659/
 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel-
role-in-integrating-indian-states/5453
 https://pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=172053
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patel
 https://www.gktoday.in/answers/outline-the-role-of-sardar-vallabhbhai-patel-in-unifying-
the-india-in-post-independence-period/
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5505708-the-story-of-the-integration-of-the-
indian-states

BOOKS
 V.P menon, “THE STORY OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE INDIAN STATES”
 Bipin Chandra, “HISTORY OF MODERN INDIA”, 2001.
 Bipin Chandra, “INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE”,2000.

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