The Governor General’s Files: Remembering the great ‘Sardar’

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a great but neglected icon of the Indian National Congress. For half a century, Jawaharlal Nehru and his descendants spared him no time. The nation’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954 and it was first awarded to C. Rajagopalachari and M. Visweswaraiah. The following year, very appropriately, Jawaharlal Nehru received this award. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first posthumous recipient in 1956. By 1990, 25 people, mostly political leaders, received this award. These included a film actor-turned-politician and two foreign nationals, plus one of foreign origin. Only in 1991 did the then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar confer the Bharat Ratna on the Sardar.

While both, Nehru’s birth and death anniversaries are observed with much fanfare, Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary on October 31 mostly went unnoticed. This increased after Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984, whereafter it was declared as National Integration Day. Narendra Modi has very rightly changed this. The focus on that date is now on the Sardar without ignoring Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary. Her birth anniversary on November 19 continues to be observed as earlier.

During my youth, we adored Nehru who was our most popular icon. We also greatly admired the Sardar. As a young major in the Army, I had occasion to come in contact with Nehru during the Zojila battle in November in 1948, to describe the terrain to him in his office. In June 1949, he personally briefed the Indian delegation going for the United Nations conference for delineating the Ceasefire Line in Kashmir. Being the secretary of the delegation, I was present during this briefing and took down notes. These moments are etched proudly in my memory. Nehru’s decision of not allowing us to pursue the defeated Pakistani forces withdrawing in total disorder to Muzaffarabad on November 14, 1947, during the 1947-48 war had disappointed us all in Kashmir as it denied us the opportunity to completely clear the Valley of the enemy. His handling of the 1962 war greatly disillusioned us. However, his achievements and service to the nation was of such great order that our respect and regard for him continued.

I never had the honour of interacting with Sardar Patel, but I was fortunate to see him from close quarters on two occasions. In late 1946, I was living with my father in 10, Prithviraj Road, while the Sardar as home member of the interim government lived in 1, Prithviraj Road. I used to go jogging in Lodi Gardens nearby and the Sardar, with a few of his men, used to go there for a walk. Then as now, there was a walking trail round the garden. First two times I saw him, he was coming from the opposite direction. I stopped and did my pranam to him very reverentially. He took no notice of me. Perhaps he was pre-occupied. He looked like a Roman senator. After a few occasions, he would respond and give a smile of recognition to me.

The next time I saw him was in September 1948. There were rumours that India was contemplating military action against the Nizam of Hyderabad who was not acceding to the Indian Union. Qasim Rizvi’s Razakars had been attacking Hindus in the state who had begun crossing the border as refugees. Razakars would even cross the border and attack Indian villages. Nizam’s army and Razakars fired at one of our border police station. The Sardar wanted to retaliate immediately. The Army Chief, then a British general Sir Rob Lockhart, advised against the Army opening a second front when it was fully committed in fighting a war in Kashmir. Both Mountbatten and the ministry for external affairs advised against military action in Hyderabad because it would have adverse international reaction, particularly in West Asia on whom we were dependent for oil. The Intelligence Bureau felt that this may start communal riots in the country which had then abated after the unprecedented communal violence during Partition.

But Sardar Patel wanted immediate retaliation. He sent for Lt. Gen. Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, southern Army commander and Lt. Gen. K.M. Cariappa, western Army commander who was conducting operations in Kashmir. I had accompanied Cariappa as his staff officer when he went to Sardar’s house. He went inside and I remained with the Sardar’s PA. I got a glimpse of Sardar from outside his room. After the meeting, I travelled with Cariappa in his car. He mentioned that he had assured the Sardar that in the event of military action in Hyderabad, he was confident of defending Punjab and Kashmir, if Pakistan attacked India. I learnt that Rajendrasinhji assured the Sardar that he could successfully complete the invasion of Hyderabad within a week. Two days later, I read in the newspaper that Operation Polo was launched in Hyderabad, and within a week the Nizam’s army surrendered to our forces.

It is good that Mr Modi is putting up a gigantic statue of the Sardar in Gujarat. He should also put up a suitable memorial for him in Delhi. Birla House and Gandhi Bhavan near Rajghat honour the memory of the Father of the Nation, the Nehru Memorial — Teen Murti House is dedicated to Jawaharlal Nehru; 8, Janpath to Lal Bahadur Shastri; 1, Safdarjung to Indira Gandhi; Kamaraj Road to Jagjivan Ram; Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to Rajiv Gandhi. The modest one-storey building is still extant. This private bungalow and 2, Prithviraj Road, also a private bungalow, have a large compound. The whole area in the two bungalows connected with a foot over bridge can be developed into a suitable Sardar Patel Memorial in Delhi. The Sardar’s papers, documents, books, library and research facilities for scholars should be provided for researchers with living accommodation, a restaurant, auditorium, underground parking and so on. That would be a fitting tribute to the memory of the great Sardar.

The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir