New Delhi, December 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Vallabhbhai Patel on his 69th death anniversary, saying the country remains inspired by his exceptional services. India's first home minister died in 1950 in Mumbai.

"Tributes to the great Sardar Patel on his punya tithi (death anniversary). We remain eternally inspired by his exceptional service to our nation," Modi wrote on Twitter. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Death Anniversary: Remembering The 'Iron Man of India' Through His Quotes.

The ruling BJP believes that had Patel handled the Jammu and Kashmir issue after Independence, the situation there would have been better. The Statue of Unity, a 182-meter tall statue of Patel, was unveiled by Prime Minister Modi in Gujarat last year.