Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat on the 150th birth anniversary of India's first home minister.
The birth anniversary of Patel is being celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) on October 31 since 2014, when Modi became the prime minister for the first time.
Modi arrived at Patel's 182-metre-tall statue, near Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district in the morning and paid his respects to the Iron Man of India by offering flower petals.
He then left for a nearby venue where he is scheduled to administer the Ekta Diwas pledge to the gathering and witness Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade.
This year’s Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations will include a cultural festival and the National Unity Day parade by police and paramilitary forces.
The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade, a major attraction of the celebrations, features contingents from paramilitary forces like the BSF and CRPF, and various state police forces.
This year, the event has become even more special with the parade being organised on the lines of Republic Day parade.