Author: Priyadarshi Dutta
Publication: Niticentral.com
Date: October 31, 2013
URL: http://www.niticentral.com/2013/10/31/nehru-crippled-sardar-patel-memorial-plan-152968.html

While speaking at the inauguration of the redesigned Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Musuem at Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated that there were more areas of convergence between Nehru and Sardar Patel than divergence. Singh also took delight in the fact that he was a member of Indian National Congress, the party Patel had belonged to.

Fine words! But the Prime Minister needs to be reminded that Nehru had stymied the Congress Working Committee’s (CWC) proposal to raise a national memorial to Sardar Patel. Historian Pran Nath Chopra, an authority on Patel, mentions this galling fact in his book The Sardar of India – Biography of Vallabhbhai Patel. Chopra quotes SK Patil, Patel’s confidant and the Congress MP from Mumbai, informing that after Patel’s demise, the CWC had adopted a resolution to raise a national memorial to Sardar Patel.

Nehru was conspicuous by his indifference to the idea. A sum of Rs 1 crore was planned to be raised for the memorial. Ghanshyam Das Birla, industrialist and Patel’s close friend, collected Rs 50 lakhs for the purpose. At least, Rs 10 lakhs was raised by the efforts of Patil, from Mumbai. But rest of the Provincial Congress Committees failed to mobilise anything significant resulting in huge shortfall.

When Patil broached the issue — Patel Memorial, Nehru tried to discourage it. Nehru said that Patel was essentially a farmer and a friend of villagers. The money raised for the memorial should be used for ‘digging of wells and constructing approach roads’. Patil found this suggestion ‘nonsensical’ because excavating wells and constructing roads was the responsibility of the Government. The memorial fund could not be used for that purpose. Patil wanted to erect at least a statue of Sardar Patel in the Vijay Chowk near the Raisina Hill. But Nehru objected even to that location. With great difficulty, Patil could get an alternate venue on Parliament Street. The Circle came to be known as Patel Chowk where several important offices and banks are located in the National Capital.