sardar patel biography

sardar patel biography

who is sardar patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is also called “Bismarck of India” and “Iron Man”. He played an important role in India’s independence movement. After the success of Bardoli Satyagraha, the women there gave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the title of “Sardar”.

After that people used to address him as “Sardar”. He became the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India. He is famous for merging indigenous princely states like Junagadh, Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir into India. They merged peacefully without any bloodshed.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Biography

Birth and family background

sardar patel birthday

He was born on 31 October 1875 in a farmer family in Nadiad village in Gujarat. His father’s name was Jhaver Bhai Patel and mother’s name was Ladba Devi. Sardar Patel was a total of four siblings. He received his early education at home.

He went to London to study barrister and returned to Ahmedabad to practice law. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel joined the independence movement. His younger brother’s name was Kashi Bhai. Sister’s name was Dahiba. Sardar Patel’s son’s name was Dahyabhai and daughter’s name was Maniben.

sardar patel image

sardar patel history

Contribution to Kheda Satyagraha Contribution to Kheda Satyagraha
In those days the Kheda section of Gujarat was struggling with severe drought and epidemic. The farmers were distraught and upset. They had neither produce nor money. All the farmers started demanding heavy tax exemption.

Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabh Patel and other leaders took the side of the farmers and asked the British government to waive taxes. In the end the British government had to bow down and the tax was waived. The Kheda struggle was the first major struggle of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Contribution to the Bardoli movement
In 1928, at a place called Bardoli in Gujarat, the British increased the tax by 30%. It was a peasant movement and was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. All the farmers strongly opposed the increased tax.

The British government made every effort to crush this movement. Many farmers got lathi charge. He was jailed but the movement did not stop.

Boom field, a British judicial officer and Maxwell, a revenue officer, thoroughly investigated this problem and was subsequently reduced to 22% tax at 6%. This movement made Vallabhbhai Patel famous. The women of Bardoli gave him the title of Sardar.

Junagadh merged the princely states of Hyderabad and Jammu Kashmir into India
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is famous for merging the states of Junagadh, Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir into India. After 1947, 3 states were not ready to merge with India.

The Nawab of Junagadh was persuaded to merge with India, but he rejected the offer. After that when he started protesting, he fled to Pakistan. Thus Junagadh was merged into India.

The Nizam of Hyderabad refused to merge with India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel sent the army there and got it surrendered. It was named Operation Polo. In this way the state of Hyderabad became an integral part of India. Jammu and Kashmir was merged into India.

Political life
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel became the most influential leader of Gujarat. In 1920, he was appointed as the chairman of the Gujarat State Congress Committee. He held this position until 1945.

During his tenure he strongly opposed alcoholism, untouchability and caste discrimination in Gujarat. In 1924 and 1927, he was made the chairman of the municipality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel led the Satyagraha movement in Nagpur in 1923.

In 1931, he was appointed the President of the Indian National Congress. Sardar Patel was a prominent leader in the Quit India Movement in 1942. He also went to jail several times. Patel was released from prison in 1945.

After independence in 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was made the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the country. From 15 August 1947 to 15 August 1950, he continued to serve as Deputy Chief Minister of India and Home Minister.

In 1947, the Pakistani army invaded Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time Sardar Patel wanted to send the army to Jammu and Kashmir to stop the invaders but he also wanted the consent of Pandit Nehru and Lord Mountbatten for this.

After the surrender of the Raja of Kashmir, Sardar Patel sent troops from there and immediately stopped the invaders. The Baramulla Pass, Srinagar was secured. Sardar Patel’s relationship with Pandit Nehru was not good and there were differences on many points.

He added more than 3 lakh people to the Non-Cooperation Movement of Gandhiji and collected a donation of 15 lakhs. In 1931, he was also appointed as the President of Congress in Karachi. In 1940 he went to jail for 9 months.

He believed that under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, an India of Hindu Muslim religion could avoid the problem of Partition, but this did not happen. While Sardar Patel was a very simple and down to earth person, the same Pandit Nehru wanted to gain international fame.

Sardar Patel said that his childhood was spent in poverty and poverty while Pandit Nehru’s childhood was spent in prosperity and wealth. The two leaders differed on several points.