Had Sardar Patel been India's first PM, current problems wouldn't exist: Amit Shah

There is a public opinion that if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had been made India's first prime minister, the country would not have faced many problems, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday.

He was addressing students and teachers of the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Delhi on the 147th birth anniversary of Patel, India's first home minister. The school is run by the Gujarat Education Society.

Patel was born on October 31, 1875 at Nadiad in Gujarat.

Shah also expressed his condolences to the families of those who died in Gujarat's Morbi bridge collapse on Sunday, saying the entire country was saddened by the tragic accident in which many children also lost their lives.

Talking about Patel, the home minister said students and children should read up on him to know about his vision for a united India with deep roots for democracy.

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He said basic education should be imparted in local language, and urged students to keep their native languages and dialects alive.

"Sardar Patel was not only a man of imagination but he worked very hard to implement his vision... he was a 'karmayogi'," Shah said.

"A man who is remembered long after his death can only be called great, that was Sardar... There is a public opinion in the country that if Sardar was made the first prime minister of India, the country would not have faced many problems it is facing today," he said.

Shah recalled Patel's role in bringing together and merging more than 500 princely states to the union of Indian after Independence.

The central government has been observing October 31 as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' or National Unity Day since 2014 to foster and reinforce its dedication to preserve and strengthen the unity, integrity and the security of the nation.

As part of the celebrations, various programmes are organised across the country, recalling Patel's contribution to the unification of India.