EKTA NAGAR/PATNA: Attacking Congress for “leaving no stone unturned to erase Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s legacy” and ignoring his role in uniting the country after Independence, home minister Amit Shah Thursday said the Modi govt had restored his rightful place in history by erecting the 182-ft ‘Statue of Unity’ at Ekta Nagar and holding an annual parade of all state and central police forces there on his birth anniversary.Marking Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary this year, the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade, presided over by PM Modi, has been upgraded to the scale of the Republic Day parade, featuring contingents of state police and central paramilitary forces along with 16 BSF personnel honoured for Operation Sindoor.Also on display will be stunts by BSF’s Indian-bred dogs and motorcycle-borne Assam Police personnel, while tableaux from different states will celebrate ‘Unity in Diversity’. The showstopper will be a cultural extravaganza of 900 dancers performing against the backdrop of Patel’s towering statue, followed by a flypast by IAF’s Suryakiran team. Shah, addressing a presser in Patna, said the parade will henceforth be held every year on October 31.
