A eulogy for 'Iron Man of India' Sardar Patel

In the context of the Amrit Mahotsav of India's Independence, nothing can be more appropriate than a homage to the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of Independent India, as it exists today.

Of the close lieutenants of the "Mahatma" during the independence struggle, Patel came from the humblest of circumstances. As his life would progressively reveal, he was a natural leader who combined in him a born rebel, an astute agitator, an organizer par excellence, a tough but shrewd negotiator, an outstanding administrator and above all, a memorable statesman. As a human being, suffice it to say, he hid behind his rough exterior, seeming taciturnity and stern countenance; a tender and caring heart, a stoical temperament, which bore pain and tragedy alike, a keen sense of humour and a ready and unhesitating willingness for sacrifice.

Even as a student, Patel displayed glimpses of his future leadership. Never to suffer an insult or injustice, he brought three of his class teachers to account for their delinquencies. On another occasion, he accepted the challenge of a fellow patidar, contesting for a seat on the Nadia Municipal Committee that he would shave his head if anyone could defeat him, by successfully fielding a teacher against him from his school.

"Slow rises worth, by poverty depressed," wrote Samuel Johnson. Because of his family circumstances, Patel could complete his matriculation only when he was 22 years old. For the same reason, he had to be content with becoming a district pleader, by passing the prescribed examination through self- study. To fulfill his ambition of becoming a barrister, he chose to practise in criminal law which offered quick returns, and made his mark in no time at Godhra and later at Borsad. Part of his interest in going to London was also dueto his curiosity to know how a small Nation could rule such a large country as India from 7,000 miles away.

Having earned enough to fulfil his ambition, he secured admission to the courts of Inn in London in 1905. However, his older brother, Vithalbhai Patel, wished to go in his place by availing the coincidence that both of them were known by the name VJ Patel. Vallabhbhai not only stood down in favour of his elder brother but supported the brother's family in his own house for the duration of the brother's stay in London. Five years later, he sailed to England and emulated his brother by finishing the course six months ahead and standing first in the examination. On his return home, Vallabhbhai moved to Ahmedabad and took no time to rise to the top of the Bar. Living like a western aristocrat, he made his presence felt at the club by his extraordinary skills at the game of bridge and dominated the social discourse.

When Gandhiji returned to India from South Africa, Patel was at the peak of his profession and evinced little interest in politics. He pooh-poohed the credentials of Gandhiji to lead India to self rule with sarcastic remarks about his political and other precepts. But Gandhiji's address to the political conference of the Bombay Presidency, held at Godhra in October,1916 and his success in Champaran, Bihar, against the indigo planters made a deep impression on Patel. Also, a barb at him by a friend that the public could not be served from the club stirred his conscience. Therefore, when Gandhiji was elected in 1917, as the president of Gujarat Sabha, he was able to persuade Patel to become the Secretary of the Sabha. At the turn of 1920-1921, the Saba was converted into Gujarat Provincial Congress Committee and Patel was elected as its first President, to continue in that position till 1946.

Because of his fearless willingness to look the Englishman in the eye, he was persuaded to get elected to the Municipal Board of Ahmedabad in 1917. Functioning as the chairman of the sanitary committee, he forced the exit of two British I C S officers as Municipal Commissioner and a white Municipal Engineer, for various delinquencies. Later, during the various agitations he conducted against the colonial government, his frequent and successful confrontations with Frederick Pratt, a top British ICS. Officer, would have warmed the cockles of every patriotic Indian's heart. In1924, he was elected as a Congress nominee to the office of Chairman of the Municipal Board.

During his two stints in the Municipality, Patel displayed rare administrative acumen and outstanding leadership in crisis, by the way he twice tackled unprecedented floods in Sabarmati River as also two outbreaks each of famine and plague. In recognition of his good work in vastly improving the civic amenities and services as also finances, the Bombay Government gave a special grant of Rs.1.25 Crores to the Municipality, notwithstanding his discontinuance of water supply at concessional rates to the Cantonment and the Civil Lines where the white population lived. His performance was in sharp contrast to Allahabad where Jawahar Lal Nehru became the Municipal Chairman but threw his hands up, after one year with the lament that it was impossible to deal with a recalcitrant provincial government. Patel's organizational excellence was also on full display during the two annual sessions of the Congress held in Gujarat. The first one held in 1921, on the banks of Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, was draped all over in khadi, thereby benefiting khadi spinners and weavers. For the second annual session in 1938, held on the banksof Tapti River in Haripura village, Patel built a temporary village with every amenity possible, in 500 acres of land, to accommodate over 75,000 delegates and visitors. It was a testimony to his imagination and planning.

Between 1917 and 1929, Patel conducted with conspicuous success, as many as six historic mass agitations/satyagrahas against the colonial government, with or without the guidance of Gandhiji. These related to demands for: (a) discontinuance of the practice of 'Veth' i.e., free services from villagers to visiting officials; (b) postponement of collection of land revenue from farmers in Kheda district of Gujarat, on account of the distress caused by failure of the monsoon in the years 1915-16 and excessive rainfall in 1917; (c) freeing municipal schools from government control as a corollary to boycotting government schools which was one of the five planks of the ' Non Cooperation' movement launched by Gandhiji in 1920-21; (d) right to carry the national flag through the Civil Lines of Nagpur (1923); (e) withdrawal of punitive tax imposed on the people of Borsad Taluq in Kheda district, for their alleged failure to cooperate with the authorities in controlling heinous crime like murders and dacoities (1924) and, lastly (f) withdrawal of the increase in land revenue in Bardoli Taluq of Surat district in Gujarat (1927-28).

All these campaigns particularly Bardoli, in their details, provide a classic and comprehensive lesson in planning, preparation, organization, communication, morale building and negotiating tactics- all ingredients of outstanding leadership. No other compatriot of Patel in the Congress hierarchy could claim to have toured as much as Patel did in his home turf of Gujarat. He did so mostly by foot and "ate what and where he could and slept where he could". In the process, he collected and developed a large band of intrepid and tireless colleagues, who stood by him in whichever task he would undertake, within Gujarat and outside.

Out of Bardoli, Patel emerged as Sardar Patel and a popular candidate for the presidency of the Congress party, at the Calcutta session in December 1928. Motilal Nehru who had earlier conveyed to Gandhiji, his desire to see his son Jawaharlal as the Congress President before he passed away, wrote a letter to the Mahatma in July 1928, endorsing Patel's preponderant claim but with a proviso that 'failing him his son Jawaharlal would be the best choice'. Despite, such compelling credentials, Gandhiji would choose Motilal Nehru for the presidency in 1928 and his son, Jawaharlal Nehru at Lahore in 1929. His explanation that his choice of Jawaharlal was influenced by his anxiety to pass on the leadership to the next generation and thereby, mellow the youth and arrest their drift towards communism did not carry conviction in the face of the importunate plea of Motilal for his son. As a result, Patel had to wait for the next chance in March 1931, at Karachi. A month earlier, Motilal would pass away.

At Lahore, full Independence and not Dominion Status, was declared as the goal of the Congress. In the 'Salt Satyagraha' launched on 6 April 1930, after Gandhiji's famous 'Dandi march', Gujarat, led by Patel was again in the forefront and extended the defiance to payment of land revenue and picketing of liquor shops, as well as those selling foreign cloth. Their example spread to other parts of the country. Patel was imprisoned thrice. To secure the participation of the Congress party in the Second Round Table Conference held in late 1931 – the First Conference in 1930 having been boycotted by the Party, Irwin, the Governor General, made a climbdown to release all the prisoners and negotiated the Gandhi-Irwin Pact under which he agreed to restoration of status quo ante. The Second Round Table was a failure too.

In the meantime, Willingdon, a high Tory and rank imperialist, succeeded Irwin and virtually repudiated the Pact leading to a threat by Gandhiji to revive the agitation. The Congress leadership was again put behind the bars. Gandhiji and Patel were sent to Yeravda Jail near Pune on 2 February 1932. While Gandhiji was released in August 1933 on a threat to go on an indefinite fast, the third one by him while in prison, Patel was released in August 1934. The Congress suspended civil disobedience in May 1934 following the issue of a White Paper by the British Government.

Based on the White Paper, the Government of India Act was enacted in 1935. After passing the baton as Congress President to Rajendra Prasad in October,1934, Patel plunged into election management. In 1935, he took over from an ailing Ansari, the position of Chairman of the Congress Parliamentary Board, responsible for management of the Party's affairs in the Provincial and Central Legislatures. Patel ran the electoral machine as effectively as he conducted the agitational movements. In the general election to Central and Provincial Assemblies, conducted in 1935-37, he looked after the selection of candidates; raised funds; guided the selection of legislature party leaders and tendered advice to them as Premiers, as and when it was sought. In spite of the controversies which surrounded him over the denial of premiership to K F Nariman in Bombay and the ouster of N B Khare as the Premier in Central Province, his actions were finally vindicated.

(To be concluded next week; Writer is a former Governor of Tamil Nadu)