Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary and said that India today is fully capable to meet all kinds of challenges, external and internal, due to his inspiration. “Today the nation is paying tribute to Sardar Patel who sacrificed every moment of his life for ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’. Sardar Patel ji does not just live in history but also in the hearts of all Indians,” PM Modi said in a video message.

“Our goals can only be met if we stay united. Sardar Patel always wanted India to be strong, inclusive, sensitive, alert, polite and developed. He always gave importance to the nation’s interest,” the Prime Minister, who is in Rome to attend the G20 Summit, added.

October 31 is observed as or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day since 2014 marking the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is credited with uniting all the 562 princely states of the pre-Independent country to build the Republic of India.

Also read | National Unity Day: As India pays tributes to Sardar Patel, know the history

“India is not just a geographical unit but a nation full of the parameters of ideals, resolutions, civilisation and culture. The land, where we 135 crore Indians live, is an integral part of our soul, our dreams and our aspirations,” PM Modi said in the video message.

Every Indian, he said, has the responsibility to nurture the foundation of democracy. “The strong foundation of democracy that developed in the society and traditions of India, prospered the sense of ‘Ek Bharat’. But we must also remember that all the passengers sitting in a boat have to take care of the boat. We can go ahead only if we stay united,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind also paid his tributes to Patel. “My humble tributes on the birth anniversary of Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. A symbol of the unity of the country, Sardar Patel occupies a high place among our foremost nation-builders. The countrymen will always be indebted to Sardar Patel for establishing a work culture based on morality and service to the nation.”

Also read | Attempts were made to forget Sardar Patel and his contributions: Amit Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah also paid floral tribute at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia on the occasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary. Patel’s dedication, loyalty, struggle and sacrifice serve as an inspiration to citizens for unity and integrity of the country, Amit Shah said.

“Sardar Sahib’s dedication, loyalty, struggle and sacrifice for the motherland inspires every Indian to dedicate himself for the unity and integrity of the country. On the birth anniversary of such a great craftsman of united India, salutations at his feet and best wishes to all the countrymen on ‘National Unity Day’,” Shah tweeted.

Other Union ministers, including Nitin Gadkari, Hardeep Singh Puri and Piyush Goyal among others, also paid tributes to Sardar Patel. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is being celebrated across the country on Sunday to mark the occasion.