CM Sai Marks Rashtriya Ekta Diwas as PM Modi Joins Kevadia Event
Synopsis
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai marked Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2026 by highlighting PM Modi's participation in the national unity celebrations at Kevadia, Gujarat, on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary.
Key Takeaways
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed every 31 October on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary.
The central government instituted the observance in 2014 to promote national integration.
Kevadia, Gujarat hosts the flagship national event, anchored by the Statue of Unity inaugurated in 2018 .
PM Modi's participation at Kevadia has been a recurring feature since the statue's inauguration.
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai amplified the event on X, reflecting state-level alignment with the national unity messaging.
On the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the man who stitched a fractured subcontinent into one nation, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai took to X on 31 October 2026 to note Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations held at Kevadia, Gujarat — the very ground where the world's tallest statue of Patel stands sentinel over the Narmada.
Patel's Anniversary, Modi's Kevadia Tradition
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day, was instituted by the central government in 2014 and is observed every 31 October to honour Sardar Patel's legacy of national integration. The date is not incidental — Patel is credited with negotiating and, where necessary, compelling the accession of hundreds of princely states into the Indian Union after 1947, a feat historians regard as one of the most consequential acts of modern statecraft.
Kevadia became the epicentre of these observances after Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity there on 31 October 2018. The 182-metre structure — the tallest statue in the world — transformed a small Gujarat town into a pilgrimage point for the unity narrative. Prime ministerial participation at Kevadia on this date has since become a recurring fixture of the national calendar.
Why CM Sai's Post Signals State-Level Resonance
Chief ministers amplifying the Kevadia programme is itself part of the broader federal choreography around Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — state governments are expected to run parallel events, and their leaders' public acknowledgement of the central ceremony reinforces the all-India messaging on integration. Chhattisgarh, a state carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, has its own complex history of tribal integration and regional identity, lending the unity-day theme particular local resonance.
The annual observance also doubles as a platform for the central government to underline federal cooperation — a theme that cuts across party lines even as the BJP has made Patel's legacy a signature political touchstone.
Sardar Patel's unfinished question — how does a diverse democracy hold itself together — gets asked again every 31 October. The answer, year after year, is assembled at Kevadia.
Point of View
With Kevadia serving as its permanent stage. The BJP's consistent investment in Sardar Patel's iconography — culminating in the Statue of Unity — reflects a long-term effort to broaden the party's historical ownership beyond its traditional ideological lineage. Chief ministers publicly amplifying the Kevadia programme signals how thoroughly the unity-day narrative has been institutionalised as a top-down federal ritual. The durability of this template will depend on whether the messaging translates into substantive state-centre cooperation on integration-related policy.
NationPress
31 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and when is it celebrated?
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day, is observed every 31 October to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It was instituted by the central government in 2014 to promote national integration and unity.
Why is Kevadia the venue for Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations?
Kevadia in Gujarat is home to the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue dedicated to Sardar Patel. Since its inauguration by PM Modi on 31 October 2018, Kevadia has served as the main venue for the central government's National Unity Day programme.
What is the Statue of Unity?
The Statue of Unity is a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel located in Kevadia, Gujarat. Inaugurated in 2018, it is the tallest statue in the world and serves as a monument to Patel's role in integrating India's princely states.
Who was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. He is credited with negotiating and overseeing the accession of hundreds of princely states into the Indian Union after independence in 1947.
Why did CM Vishnu Deo Sai post about Rashtriya Ekta Diwas?
As Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Vishnu Deo Sai shared PM Modi's participation in the Kevadia event on X, reflecting state-level acknowledgement of the national unity observance — a common practice among chief ministers during Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
