Gandhinagar: Presented here is Statue of Unity and Sardar Patel related portion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat radio address today morning in video.

– The Prime Minister mentioned Time magazine cover featuring Sardar Patel in 1940s and speaks about related article.

– The Prime Minister also spoke about Sardar Patel’s historical achievement of uniting India post independence.

– PM said this 31st October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel will be unique. We will dedicate the Statue of Unity on that day. Sardar Patel who was connected to the ground will now also decorate the sky, the PM said adding that it will be a great tourist destination in India.

– PM also mentioned excerpt of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw’s interview and said how Kashmir was helped by Sardar.

Relevant portion of Manekshaw’s talk with Rediff:

Almost every morning the Sardar would sent for V P, H M Patel and myself. While Maniben (Patel’s daughter and de facto secretary) would sit cross-legged with a Parker fountain pen taking notes, Patel would say, ‘V P, I want Baroda. Take him with you.’ I was the bogeyman. So I got to know the Sardar very well.

At the morning meeting he handed over the (Accession) thing. Mountbatten turned around and said, ‘ come on Manekji (He called me Manekji instead of Manekshaw), what is the military situation?’ I gave him the military situation, and told him that unless we flew in troops immediately, we would have lost Srinagar, because going by road would take days, and once the tribesmen got to the airport and Srinagar, we couldn’t fly troops in. Everything was ready at the airport.

As usual Nehru talked about the United Nations, Russia, Africa, God almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, ‘Jawaharlal, do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away’. He (Nehru) said,’ Of course, I want Kashmir (emphasis in original). Then he (Patel) said ‘Please give your orders’. And before he could say anything Sardar Patel turned to me and said, ‘You have got your orders’.

DeshGujarat