Nehru wanted to use public funds on Babri, Patel opposed: Rajnath Singh

The Defence Minister went on to say “Jab Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Babri masjid ke mudde par sarkari khazane se paisa kharch karne ki baat… jab unhone baat chheri thi, uska bhi virodh bhi kisine kiya tha, woh Gujarati ma ki kokh se paida hue Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ne hi kiya tha. Aur uss samay, sarkari paise se unhone Babri masjid nahi banne diya. (When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru raised the issue of spending money from the government treasury on the Babri masjid, if anyone opposed this, it was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, born of a Gujarati mother. And at that time, he did not allow the Babri Masjid to be built with government funds)”.

Singh added that when Nehru opposed the renovation of Somnath temple in Gujarat, Patel reminded him that the money was to be spent from a Trust. Singh said, “Nehru raised the issue of rebuilding the Somnath Temple. When the question of reconstruction was raised, Sardar Patel, in a calm but firm voice, clarified that the Somnath Temple was a different matter. The public has donated lakhs… A Trust has been formed, and not a single paisa of the government’s money has been spent on this project. This was established by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel…”

Singh added that “not a single paisa” from the government treasury has been spent in building the “magnificent Ram Temple” built in Ayodhya. “If anyone has paid for the entire expense (of Ram Temple), it is the people of this country. This is the true definition of secularism, and Sardar Patel demonstrated it in practice. His views are clear: there should be no appeasement; justice should be given to all. National interest should be paramount… Sardar Patel also played an important role in the drafting of the constitution. He opposed separate electorates. This further strengthens India’s unity.”

Singh also claimed that Nehru had opposed the construction of a memorial for Sardar Patel and said, “After his (Patel’s) death, the public respectfully collected money to build a memorial. But when this information reached Nehru, do you know what he said? He said Sardar Patel was a leader of farmers. Therefore, the money should be spent on building village wells and roads. This is not hidden from anyone, but the government is responsible for building wells and roads. The suggestion to use the money meant for a memorial for that seems absurd to me… It is completely wrong and this makes one thing clear: the government at that time wanted to hide the great legacy of Sardar Patel at any cost.”

Singh said, “Nehru ji gave himself the Bharat Ratna. Could Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel not have been given the Bharat Ratna at that time? I want people to answer this question. He wasn’t. Prime Minister Narenda Modi ji, by getting the Statue of Unity built, decided to give Sardar Patel the appropriate honour…”

Singh stated that Sardar Patel never placed self-interest above the nation. Singh said that Patel could have become the Prime Minister, but he was denied the post citing his age. Singh also said that when he promised Mahatma Gandhi that he would work together with Nehru, despite ideological differences, he stayed true to his word. “Nehru became the president of Congress in 1946 because Patel withdrew his nomination at the insistence of Gandhi… A majority of the Congress committee members proposed Vallabhbhai Patel’s name. When Gandhiji asked Patel to let Nehru become the party president and withdraw his nomination, he immediately withdrew his name…”

Singh claimed that “some people” tried to hide and erase Patel’s legacy, but they won’t succeed as long as the BJP is in power. Crediting Patel for modernisation of the Indian Army, Singh added that Patel insisted on India having its own defence power in manufacturing and although he believed in peaceful dialogues, he did not hesitate in taking a tough stand to meet the goals of national interest. Referring to the accession of princely states, Singh said that despite the reluctance of Hyderabad and Junagadh, Patel adopted ways that coerced them to sign accession into India. “Had (Nehru) heeded the suggestions of Sardar Patel at the time of Kashmir’s accession, India wouldn’t have had to deal with the Kashmir problem for such a long time… The Modi government has also upheld this value through Operation Sindoor, which is being discussed not only in India but in other countries too. The message has been sent clearly; India will not provoke but if anyone provokes us, India will not spare them.”

The Rashtriya Ekta Padyatra was flagged on November 26. It is scheduled to reach the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar in Narmada on December 6.