PM, Modi share dais, cross swords on Patel


Ahmedabad, Oct 29 (PTI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today crossed swords over Sardar Patel as they shared dais here at an event on the first Home Minister.

Modi made a veiled attack on Jawaharlal Nehru as he said the country's "fate" and "face" would have been different if Patel had been the first Prime Minister.

Singh immediately hit back by questioning Modi's claim over Patel's legacy, saying the late leader was secular and liberal to the core, having respect for those with different ideology.

Modi, who spoke first at the function to inaugurate a museum in memory of Patel, said, "every Indian regrets that he (Patel) did not become the first Prime Minister. Had he been the first Prime Minister, the country's fate would have been different, its face would have been different."

The comments could be seen as an attack on Nehru.

Modi credited the first Home Minister with uniting the country after Independence and said the same unity and integrity was under threat from terrorism and maoism at present.

Responding to Modi's barbs, Singh appeared to question the Gujarat Chief Minister's claim on Patel's legacy as he underlined that he was a Congressman and secular.

"Sardar Patel was secular to the core. He had a deep faith in the integrity of India. He believed that the whole country was a village and people of all communities here were his relatives and friends," Singh said.

  

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Comment on this article

  • bharat, mangalore,Dubai

    Wed, Oct 30 2013

    True sardar patel had said that RSS was responsible for the death of Mahatma Gandhi and they were spreading communal tensions. And in his letter to Golwalkar he had condemned the activities of RSS. But this was in response to allegations made on RSS regarding gandhis death. Later when he was the home minister in 1949 he himself passed a statement that on thorough investigation he has found that RSS had nothing to do with the Gandhi's death.And it was Sardar patel who had asked for RSS to be part of INC for the well being of the society.

    He felt that is how we could involve the group members thereby limit their thinking on communal lines. But Nehru had defiantely opposed this. And it is also a known fact that Nehru and Sardar had a lot of differences between them which made Sardar say that he cant work in Congress with Nehru. That is when Gandhi interfered and tried to settle things with both of them in his last days. And it was sardar himself who had vociferously objected to a discussion on minority quota during the constitution meeting.

    Thing is guys Sardar patel was one gem of a leader and people cant say he is only a congressmen. If Narendra modi wishes to incorporate his ideology no harm in that i mean a person can have lot of views to different issues. Doesnt mean we have to agree on all of those issues... Even Sardar had both positive as well as negative views on RSS. So congress people can highlight only one of the letter sent by Patel. If thats the case they will have to look into flip side of the page as well. So as far as i see there was nothing wrong in Modi talking on sardar's legacy..

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  • stan, dubai

    Wed, Oct 30 2013

    No permanent friends or enemies in politics.For politicians it's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled

    DisAgree [1] Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Bulsam, Mangalore

    Wed, Oct 30 2013

    Modi is exploiting hardcore Congressman Sardar Vallabh’bhai Patel and once again he is exposed for his fake statement.
    A noted social activist and president of All India Secular Forum Ram Puniyani termed Narendra Modi's claim that then Prime Minister of India Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru did not attend the funeral of Sardar Patel as false and a blatant lie. Morarji Desai in his Autobiography, Vol-1, Page-271, para-2, writes that then President of India Babu Rajendra Prasad and then Prime Minister of India Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru attended the funeral of Sardar Patel, which was held in Mumbai.
    "One knows Modi has been resorting to the motivated propaganda about so many things to build up his image. Many of his claims of development of Gujarat are also false", he said.
    It was Sardar Patel who said that it is due to the 'Hate spread by RSS that we had to lose the Father of our Nation'.
    Jai Hind!

    DisAgree [4] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Alok Nath, Bengaluru

    Tue, Oct 29 2013

    Sardar Patel had also condemned RSS in his letter to Golvalkar when Gandhiji was killed for their divisive policies for which Gandhiji had to sacrifice his life.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [25] Reply Report Abuse


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