On Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary — Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — more than 550 personnel mounted their bikes at Gandhinagar Sachivalaya and rolled out with a message: say no to drugs. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off the National Motorcycle Rally, organised by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, on Sunday, 25 October 2026, sending the convoy south toward the world's tallest statue and the man it honours.

The convoy: 45 teams, 275-plus bikes, one theme

The rally brings together 45 teams from states, Union Territories, and Central Armed Police Forces across India — 550-plus personnel riding 275-plus motorcycles under the unified theme 'Fight Against Drugs'. The North Zone leg of this rally was originally flagged off from New Delhi on 21 October by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. Gujarat received it at the Sachivalaya, CM Patel noting his pride at welcoming the convoy to the state.

The route from Gandhinagar threads through Anand and Vadodara before arriving at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar. At each stop, awareness drives and oath-taking ceremonies will carry the message — 'Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life' — directly to young audiences along the highway corridor.

Destination: Ekta Nagar and the 31 October parade

The rally culminates at the Statue of Unity, the 182-metre monument to Sardar Patel inaugurated on 31 October 2018 — itself a symbol of the national integration Patel engineered by uniting more than 500 princely states into independent India. On arrival, the personnel will participate in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade at Ekta Nagar on 31 October, marking the Iron Man's birth anniversary with a full ceremonial formation.

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas has been observed every 31 October since 2014, when the Government of India instituted it to keep Patel's legacy of unity and administrative resolve at the centre of national memory. Linking it to an anti-drug campaign extends that mission: the Ministry of Home Affairs has increasingly used security-force outreach events to carry public-health messaging to communities along national routes.

Why the 'Fight Against Drugs' theme carries weight here

Deploying uniformed personnel from multiple paramilitary forces as anti-drug ambassadors is a deliberate choice. When a CRPF or BSF rider stops in a town square and leads a public oath, the uniform amplifies the message. The route — Gandhinagar to Anand to Vadodara to Ekta Nagar — passes through semi-urban Gujarat, putting that message in front of a broad cross-section of youth before the rally reaches its ceremonial finish line.

CM Patel extended warm wishes to all bikers and personnel for their journey, calling them committed to the nation's unity, security, and the building of a drug-free India — nashmukt Bharat.

Six days from now, when the convoy lines up at Ekta Nagar, the parade will be both a tribute to the man who held India together and a live demonstration that the forces he helped build still carry his country forward — one kilometre, one oath, at a time.