3 min readVadodaraNov 26, 2025 08:56 PM IST
First published on: Nov 26, 2025 at 08:55 PM IST
The 152-kilometre Rashtriya Ekta Yatra from Karamsad to Kevadia, flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s ancestral town in Anand district, would “inspire citizens to centre their goals with that of the country to achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a message on Wednesday.
The state government is organising the ‘padyatra’ (foot march) from Karamsad to the Statue of Unity in Narmada district to commemorate Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary.
The PM’s message said that the Constitution Day is also a reminder that freedom is as much about performing duties and living in unity as it is about the rights.
PM Modi’s letter for the occasion on Wednesday was read out by Anand District Collector Praveen Chaudhary as CM Patel flagged off the march, which will culminate in Ekta Nagar in Narmada on December 5. PM Modi’s letter stated, “The resolve to build Viksit Bharat by 2047 will be fulfilled through the energy of our youth, the unity of the countrymen, and innovation of thought. This Ekta March will play an important role in strengthening national unity as it will inspire citizens to centre their goals with those that can bring progress for the country…”
Saying that the march would instill a sense of pride towards unity among the people, PM Modi added, “Padyatras played a key role during India’s freedom struggle. The echoes of footsteps of people who came together, awakened the society, joined the people and instilled a sense of pride about unity and self-confidence. Sardar Patel was aware that people coming together in a padyatra, leave behind their differences as their path and the destination becomes their primary goal,” Modi said.
Stating that the march coincidentally began on November 26, which is also the Constitution Day of the country, PM Modi’s letter said, “This day reminds us that freedom is as much about our rights as also about our responsibilities and a call for unity. Today, we see a glimpse of national unity in every programme where citizens participate together – be it Digital India, Fit India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or even public initiatives such as ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam…”
The inauguration ceremony at Shastri Maidan, Vallabh Vidyanagar, saw the participation of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Union Minister of State for Women & Child Development Annapurna Devi. Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Nimu Bambhaniya, Gujarat BJP State President Jagdish Vishwakarma, Gujarat Minister of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Raman Solanki , Minister of State for Finance, Government of Gujarat Kamlesh Patel as well as Gujarat Vidyapeeth University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Harshadbhai Patel, along with several volunteers.
The programme also featured the launch of the ‘Sardar Song’. The march will halt at Navli village in Anand on Wednesday night.
The inauguration ceremony at Shastri Maidan, Vallabh Vidyanagar, saw the participation of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Union Minister of State for Women & Child Development Annapurna Devi. (Photo: X/Bhupendra Patel) 
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