Why was Sardar Patel not honoured with the Bharat Ratna by any PM before P. V. Narsimha Rao?
Sardar Patel died at the age of 75 on 15 December 1950. He was advised to shift to Bombay (Mumbai) for health reason and harsh north Indian winter in Delhi. Nehru and Rajaji went to Bombay to attend his funeral. Historian KM Munshi written in his book (Pilgrimage to freedom, page 290) that Nehru instructed his cabinet ministers, President Rajendra Prasad and senior bureaucrats not to attend Sardar’s funeral. VP Menon, NV Gadgil and Satyanarayan Sinha and Rajendra Prasad still attended despite Nehru’s objection and VP Menon financed visit of 12 bureaucrats from his personal finances. This annoyed Nehru who perhaps wanted a low-profile Sardar’s funeral and gave instruction that anybody wanted to attend the funeral must travel on personal expenses. Despite Nehru’s attempt to downplay the event, about 10 lakhs people attended Sardar’s funeral in Bombay. This is in sharp contrast to Nehru’s high-profile funeral of Gandhiji two years ago. What could be the reason for this difference? Is it because Gandhiji promoted Nehru over others or Gandhiji was assassinated by a Hindu ideologist Godse? Is it because Nehru had a big problem with his deputy PM Patel because he contested provincial election against him and won? Sardar Patel warned Nehru on China after their incursion into Tibet in a long letter which is available in public domain. But Nehru was under total influence of communist VK Krishna Menon and hence walked into Chinese minefield.
Current union Home Minister Amit Shah during a Gujarat 2022 state election rally at Khambhat in Anand alleged that the Congress did everything possible to ‘insult’ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and it has started praising him only now in view of the Gujarat Assembly 2022 election. Even the last rites of the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister were performed in an ‘unceremonious’ way. “I am surprised the Congress now praises Sardar Patel. Since my childhood, I have never heard any Congress leader talking about Patel. Instead, they left no stone unturned to insult Patel, right from performing his last rites in an unceremonious manner to ensuring that no monument was built in his memory,” Mr Shah said. Amit Shah was born in early 1960s and lived in Gujarat which is home state of Sardar Patel and Gandhiji. If people of Gujarat say Sardar Patel was ignored, what other state people will say? Congress and left librandµs criticise BJP and Modi for constructing world’s tallest Sardar Patel statue on the banks of Narmada on various grounds and only after this statue was installed congress realised that their own ‘iron man’ icon was highjacked by political rival BJP and hence started glorifying Sardar Patel.
Sardar Patel’s grandson receiving Bharat Ratna in 1991
This ill treatment of Patel continued for four decades when dynasts ruled the country. Amit Shah and BJP is correct because he was given Bharat Ratna award in 1991 when non-dynast congress PM PV Narasimha Rao was heading the government who tried building the congress with non-dynast (read chamcha) people. Similarly, Bharat Ratna award to BR Ambedkar was given in 1990 (by VP Singh government). What could be the reason for apathy for real patriot Sardar Patel who handed over party leadership to Jawaharlal Nehu on request of Gandhiji despite winning congress provincial election in 1947 where Patel got 12 seats and Nehru 0 with 3 NOTA? The reasons could be smooth integration of 500 plus princely states by him and failure to integrate Kashmir, Sikkim, Bhutan Himalayan princely states into India by Nehru at the same time. Sikkim was later integrated by Indira Gandhi in 1975. Another reason could be Sardar Patel and Rajendra Prasad’s refusal to attend inauguration of Somnath temple which was against Nehru’s secularism principle and Nehru was angry with that action. Most important reason could be Patel’s soft feeling for RSS which he described patriotic despite he had to ban RSS after Gandhiji assassination. Did socialist and pro-communist Nehru started disliking Patel because he was a right winger in congress and proved correct on China later? Also, Patel expected Indian Muzlims to be loyal to the country as majority of the preferred Pakistan but failed to move to Pakistan, might have irked Nehru.
Picture source: Google / Respective rightful owner
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