CM Yogi honours Sardar Patel on 151st birth anniversary in Lucknow
Synopsis
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath marked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 151st birth anniversary at Patel Park, Lucknow, with a wreath-laying and a national unity oath, invoking the 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat' vision before the residents of Uttar Pradesh.
Key Takeaways
CM Yogi Adityanath paid floral tribute at Sardar Patel's statue at Patel Park, Lucknow on 31 October 2026 .
The occasion marks Patel's 151st birth anniversary , observed nationally as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas .
CM Yogi administered the Rashtriya Ekta Shakpath (National Unity Oath) to residents of Uttar Pradesh.
He called on citizens to internalise Patel's ideals of national unity, integrity, and sovereignty.
The address invoked Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat , a central government programme launched in 2015 to promote inter-state cultural unity.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was instituted by the central government in 2014 to commemorate Patel's birth anniversary.
On the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stood before the iron statue at Patel Park, Lucknow, on Saturday, 31 October 2026, and garlanded the man who stitched a fractured subcontinent into one nation — then asked every resident of Uttar Pradesh to take that same pledge.
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh posted that CM Yogi offered a floral tribute — malyarpan [wreath-laying] — at the statue and led the gathering in a Rashtriya Ekta Shakpath, the oath of national unity. He called on the people of the state to draw inspiration from Patel's 'atoot samarpan' [unbreakable dedication] to the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the nation, and to make the vision of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat' a living reality.
The iron will behind Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, is credited with integrating more than 500 princely states into the Indian Union after Independence in 1947 — a feat of diplomatic and administrative will that earned him the title Loh Purush, the Iron Man of India. His birth anniversary, 31 October, was designated Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — National Unity Day — by the central government in 2014, institutionalising annual commemorations across every state.
Uttar Pradesh has observed the day consistently since then, with wreath-laying ceremonies and unity pledges forming the spine of official events. Patel Park in Lucknow serves as the state's primary venue for these commemorations, housing a dedicated statue of Patel that draws senior officials every year on this date.
Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat: the pledge in action
CM Yogi's invocation of Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat carries specific policy weight. The central government launched the programme in 2015 to foster cultural and linguistic bonds between Indian states — pairing states for cross-cultural exchanges, student visits, and shared festivals. By weaving the slogan into a Patel anniversary address, the Uttar Pradesh government frames the scheme as a direct continuation of Patel's original project of integration.
The unity oath administered to pradeshvasiyon [residents of the state] adds a participatory dimension that goes beyond a ceremonial tribute — it transforms the commemoration into a public affirmation, one the state government has made a standard feature of its Rashtriya Ekta Diwas observance.
One hundred and fifty-one years after Patel's birth, the steel frame he built is still the text from which Indian federalism reads — and every October, Lucknow makes sure the state has not forgotten the author.
Point of View
The Uttar Pradesh government signals that Patel's legacy is not merely commemorative but programmatic. The choice of Patel — historically a Congress leader now claimed most vocally by the BJP — continues to reflect a long-running contest over the ownership of India's integrationist founding narrative. How state governments translate these annual pledges into measurable cross-state cultural programmes will determine whether the Ek Bharat initiative grows beyond ceremony.
NationPress
31 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 31 October celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas?
31 October is the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister. The central government designated it Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — National Unity Day — in 2014 to honour his role in integrating over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.
What did CM Yogi Adityanath do on Sardar Patel's 151st birth anniversary?
CM Yogi Adityanath garlanded Sardar Patel's statue at Patel Park in Lucknow and administered the national unity oath to the residents of Uttar Pradesh on 31 October 2026.
What is Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat?
Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat is a central government programme launched in 2015 to strengthen cultural and linguistic ties between Indian states through cross-state exchanges, student visits, and shared festivals.
Where is Patel Park in Lucknow?
Patel Park is a public park in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, that houses a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and serves as the state's principal venue for official Rashtriya Ekta Diwas commemorations.
How many princely states did Sardar Patel integrate into India?
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is credited with integrating more than 500 princely states into the Indian Union after Independence in 1947, earning him the title Loh Purush or the Iron Man of India.
