New Delhi, December 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 70th death anniversary today, i.e. on December 15. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said the path shown by Sardar Patel will always inspire people to protect the unity of the country. "The path he showed us will always inspire us to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country," he stated in a tweet in Hindi. Patel was also known as the Iron Man of India and is known for his his selfless service to the nation. Patel played a crucial role in India’s freedom struggle and played an instrumental role after the Independence.

Patel, who was India's first home minister died in 1950 in Mumbai. The Statue of Unity, a 182-meter tall statue of Patel, was unveiled by Prime Minister Modi in Gujarat in 2018. Sardar Patel, who is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India, passed away on December 15, 1950. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Death Anniversary 2020: Powerful Quotes From 'Iron Man of India' That One Can Share Remembering The Great Indian Leader.

Here's the tweet by PM Narendra Modi:

Patel's health declined rapidly through the summer of 1950. After suffering a massive heart attack, which was his second attack, Patel died on 15 December 1950 at Birla House in Bombay. Following his death, over 1,500 officers of India's civil and police services congregated to mourn at Patel's residence in Delhi and pledged "complete loyalty and unremitting zeal" in India's service.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2020 08:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).