On the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas—National Unity Day—Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, reiterating the Iron Man’s role in unifying India after independence. Addressing a gathering in Gujarat’s Kevadia, Modi asserted that Sardar Patel’s vision encompassed the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, but claimed that this aspiration was hindered by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s decisions.