New Delhi, October 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
CPI MP P. Santhosh on Saturday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, accusing the BJP of selectively interpreting history and attempting to project the former Deputy Prime Minister as its own leader.
Santhosh asserted that Sardar Patel was a Congressman and that internal differences within the party had nothing to do with the BJP.
Speaking to IANS, the CPI MP said Patel was a prominent minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru-led Cabinet and played an important role in the early years of independent India.
“Sardar Patel was a renowned minister in the Nehru Cabinet, and who was behind it? Was he a BJP nominee? Was he a Sangh Parivar nominee? More importantly, Sardar Patel did a fantastic job by banning the RSS soon after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination,” he said.
Questioning Shah’s interpretation of Patel’s legacy, Santhosh alleged that the BJP and its ideological affiliates were attempting to selectively claim historical figures.
“How can Amit Shah justify portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in that way? These people are so desperate because they cannot find anything in history,” he said.
He further alleged that the BJP and the Sangh Parivar had not been part of India’s independence movement and had consequently adopted what he described as a “pick-and-choose policy” while referring to national leaders.
“No Mahatma Gandhi is fit for them, and no Jawaharlal Nehru is fit for them. Obviously, they are trying to make Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel their own man, but history is totally against them,” Santhosh said.
Reiterating that Patel belonged to the Congress, the MP said differences of opinion within a political party should not be linked to the BJP.
“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a Congressman. Of course, there may be differences of opinion within a party, but that has nothing to do with the BJP. Patel was right in banning the RSS,” he added.
Santhosh’s remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Sardar Patel had not received the respect he deserved during the Congress regime and that the party had consistently attempted to sideline and forget him.
Addressing the ‘Ekta Run’ organised in New Delhi to mark the 151st birth anniversary of the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Shah said, “For many years, India did not accord Sardar Patel the respect he deserved. The Congress party consistently attempted to sideline and forget Sardar Sahab, but a radiant personality like his can never be erased from the nation’s memory.”
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he honoured Sardar Patel’s legacy by building the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue. Through this monumental tribute, Prime Minister Modi introduced Sardar Patel’s towering contribution and remarkable personality to the entire nation,” Shah added.
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