Ahmedabad, April 9 The Congress Party’s political gathering on the banks of the Sabarmati River was more than just a routine session -- it was a symbolic return to the soil that shaped one of its greatest leaders, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The two-day All India Congress Committee (AICC) meet in Ahmedabad was a calculated effort to reassert the party’s connection to Patel’s enduring legacy in Gujarat -- a legacy that has, over the years, been overshadowed by rival political narratives.
On the 150th birth anniversary of Patel and the 75th year of his death, the Congress adopted a detailed resolution titled “Flag Bearer of Freedom Movement -- Our Sardar -- Vallabhbhai Patel”.
It paid tribute not only to Patel’s achievements as India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister but also sought to reclaim the ideological ground he represented -- a ground Congress claims has been misappropriated in recent years.
“We are here not just to remember Sardar Patel but to remind the country of the values he truly stood for -- secularism, unity, and inclusive nation-building,” said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge during the proceedings.
“There is an attempt to distort history. Patel was a Gandhian first and foremost.” The location itself held immense significance.
The Sabarmati Ashram and the nearby Sardar Smarak are both soaked in the memories of India’s freedom struggle. It was from these very lands that Gandhi and Patel began many of their revolutionary campaigns -- Kheda, Bardoli, and Salt Satyagraha.
These echoes were not lost on the Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, who gathered in full force, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, determined to draw strength from the past in order to reposition their party for the future.
Born in 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat, Vallabhbhai Patel rose from a humble agrarian background. Trained as a barrister in London, he returned to India not to pursue a lucrative legal career, but to serve the nation.
His leadership during the Kheda Satyagraha of 1918, where he fought for the rights of farmers against unjust British taxes during a famine, marked his arrival on the national stage. It was in Bardoli, however, that he earned the title “Sardar” for his steely resolve and organizational skill.
Post-Independence, Patel’s role in uniting over 560 princely states into the Indian Union stands as one of the greatest feats of modern diplomacy. He was pragmatic yet principled, tough yet deeply rooted in Gandhian thought.
"There is something unique in this soil, which despite many obstacles has always remained the abode of great souls," Patel once said of Gujarat -- a statement that resonates today as Congress tries to re-anchor itself here.
For the Congress, reclaiming Patel is not just about historical memory but also about political correction.
Over the last two decades, the BJP has actively invoked Patel’s legacy, often setting him in contrast to Nehru, to further its ideological goals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has frequently projected Patel as the true architect of modern India, culminating in the unveiling of the Statue of Unity in Kevadia in 2018 -- the tallest statue in the world. This appropriation has left the Congress on the defensive, even though Patel was one of its most committed leaders.
The AICC resolution attempts to set the record straight. It highlights Patel’s commitment to secularism, his deep opposition to communalism, and his efforts to safeguard India’s democratic fabric -- elements that stand in stark contrast to the narratives currently projected in his name.
The resolution also makes a broader ideological point. It reminds that Patel banned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the wake of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, and emphasized the importance of constitutional values over religious identity in public life.
“The values Patel fought for are the very values we must protect today -- values that are being systematically eroded,” said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh during the session.
The state of Gujarat holds a complex relationship with the Congress. Once a stronghold of the party, Gujarat has not seen a Congress government since 1995. The rise of the BJP has been meteoric, and it has anchored much of its success in Gujarat around cultural pride, development politics, and historical symbolism. Patel has played a central role in this narrative.
For Congress, returning to Gujarat is not merely a symbolic gesture -- it is an urgent political necessity. The Sabarmati meet also comes at a time when the party is trying to rebuild its cadre, forge grassroots connections, and counter the BJP's domination ahead of the 2024 elections.
The Congress hopes that invoking Patel -- truthfully and contextually -- will help realign it with the people of Gujarat, many of whom still regard Patel with deep reverence.
In its resolution, Congress has made a conscious effort to align Patel’s values with its contemporary political vision -- defending federalism, resisting authoritarianism, and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions.
The resolution doesn't just stop at the past; it offers a blueprint for ideological struggle, emphasizing economic justice, secular governance, and constitutional morality. Whether this will translate into electoral success in Gujarat remains uncertain. But what is clear is that Congress is no longer willing to cede Patel’s legacy without a fight.
As the sun set over the Sabarmati on the final day of the convention, party workers lit diyas in the name of unity and remembered Patel not just as the "Iron Man of India" but as a Gandhian nationalist whose real strength lay in bringing people together, not dividing them. For a party seeking revival, his legacy may well be the path forward.
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