Vallabh Bhai Patel

Vallabhbhai Patel
First Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 15 August 1947 – 15 December 1950
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Morarji Desai
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 15 August 1948 – 15 December 1950
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
Personal details
Born	Vallabhai Jhaverbhai Patel 31 October 1875 Nadiad, Gujarat, Bombay Presidency, British India
Died	15 December 1950 (aged 75) Bombay, Bombay State, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Jhaverba
Children	Maniben Patel, Dahyabhai Patel
Alma mater	Inns of Court
Profession	Lawyer Political activist
Religion	Hinduism
Awards	Bharat Ratna (1991)(posthumously)
Famously called	Iron Man Of India

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel ( 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950) was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. He was a social leader who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation. InIndia and elsewhere, he was often addressed as Sardar,^[1] which means Chiefin Hindi, Urdu and Persian.

He was raised in the countryside of Gujarat.^[2] Patel was employed in successful practice as a lawyer. He subsequently organised peasants fromKheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil disobedience against oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj; in this role, he became one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat. He rose to the leadership of the Indian National Congress, in which capacity he would organise the party for the elections held in 1934 and 1937, as well as continue to promote the Quit India Movement.

As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised relief for refugees fleeing from Punjab and Delhi and led efforts to restore peace across the nation. Patel took charge of the task to forge a united India by integrating into the newly independent nation those British colonial provinces "allocated" to India. Besides those provinces under direct British rule, approximately 565 self-governing princely states had been released from British suzerainty by the Indian Independence Act 1947. Through both frank diplomacy as well an option to deploy military force, Patel would persuade almost every princely state to accede to India. Patel's commitment to national integration in the newly independent country was total and uncompromising, earning him the sobriquet "Iron Man of India"^{[citation needed]}. He is also affectionately remembered as the "Patron saint of India's civil servants" for having established the modern all-India services system.

An annual commemoration of Patel, known as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas(National Unity Day), was introduced by the Government of India in 2014 and is to be held annually on his birthday, 31 October.