Soham Agarwal’s Reviews > Selected Speeches and Writings of Vallabhbhai Patel > Status Update

Sardar Patel expressed his empathetic grievances to the people of Bengal. He reminded them of their monumental role in the freedom movement. He said that countries like America and the UK had worked very hard in the past to reach the level of development they have today. He time and again urges the workers to quit their unrealistic demands. Right now we don't have the right expertise to nationalise industries.

The time for drawing up utopian visions has gone. Policy-makers have to focus on the hard facts now. The money invested in food imports can be diverted for other purposes if farmers adopt more efficient cultivation strategies. It can be used for the rehabilitation of the unfortunate immigrants who left their hearths and homes in Pakistan.

People are made aware of the dire state of our country. It had been bled continuously for almost 2 centuries. During the war years, all the resources were going to the British Empire. Even small countries like Portugal and France had pockets in South India. Progress and development can only happen when the communists and socialists give up their unrealistic demands. Workers must quit protesting over petty matters.

Sardar Patel addresses the people of Southern India. He implores them to shed their biases and accept the people of India. In his speech, he makes subtle references to how the enemy is present inside the country as well, and not just outside the country. They travelled to Junagadh in the Kathiawar region to spark anti-national activities in the Princely States.

Old men have secured independence from foreign rule. Now the responsibility to carry it forward falls on the youth. There were more than 500 princely states, exceeding the number of independent states in the world at that time. The work of uniting them had to be done with discussion and deliberation, and not domination. Ideas like Khalistan; Sikhistan and Jatistan would only turn Hindustan into a ‘Pagalistan’!

He asks the representatives to first become worthy of administering the masses, before asking the rulers of Princely States to hand over the mantle. The partition of India was also a result of hatred and false propaganda. However, it should not deter future policy making. Be mindful of the fact that these people have many expectations from the government as they are rising from the status of subjects to citizens.

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was truly the ‘Iron man of India’. Serving as the first home minister and deputy prime minister of Independent India, he undertook the mammoth task of merging the princely states with the newly formed Republic of India. He expressed his sorrow on the events of past, but called upon the members of Congress to forget them and focus on the future.