Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 148th birth anniversary for his contribution in uniting the country and took a veiled dig at the Congress, saying his service to the nation was not allowed to be highlighted earlier.

The Central government has been observing October 31 as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ or National Unity Day since 2014 to foster and reinforce its dedication towards preserving and strengthening the unity, integrity and security of the nation.

Addressing a function organised here, Singh said, “The role of Sardar Patel in bringing together small princely states and creating a united India after Independence was not allowed to be prominently highlighted before the people of the country. It was kept confined to some people in India.” Asserting that the Narendra Modi government has been working for the past 10 years to ensure that Sardar Patel gets the respect that he truly deserves, Singh said, “In 2013, when Narendra Modi ji was declared the prime ministerial candidate, our party (BJP) had organised this programme and at that time I flagged it off.” “Now, after 10 years, I am flagging off the “Run for Unity” programme as defence minister. This programme is organised every year so that the youth of the country can understand the importance of Sardar Patel and take inspiration from him to spread the message of unity and integrity among the people,” he said.

Rajnath Singh flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ event here, to mark the 148th birth anniversary of the country’s first home minister as part of National Unity Day celebrations in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Around 8,000 people, including children, NCC cadets, youth, sportspersons, running enthusiasts and HAL personnel participated in the 1.5-km run.

Citing the names of a few places, the Union minister said that had it not been for the far-sightedness of Sardar Patel, people would need passports and visas to visit these places.

If the issue of the merger of Jammu and Kashmir had been given to Sardar Patel to handle, then the problem of Article 370 would not have risen, he said.