Kovind, Modi, national leaders pay tributes to Sardar Patel

New Delhi, Oct 31 : President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress Party on Tuesday paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 142nd birth anniversary.

Kovind remembered Patel as "India's Man of Iron, of Integrity and of Integration" in the tweet he posted after paying floral tribute at Patel Chowk here.

Naidu too, paid floral tribute to Patel, who is credited for the ensuring integration of the nation post Independence.

"We salute Sardar Patel on his birthday. His momentous service and monumental contribution to India can never be forgotten," Modi said in a tweet.

"Remembering Iron Leader Sardar Patel, whose uncompromising efforts were instrumental in keeping India united after Independence," the Congress party said in a tweet.

The party also posted alondside a picture of Patel with his message: "The speeches of the Sangh leaders are poisonous. It is a result of this venom that Mahatma Gandhi has been assassinated."

Born on October 31, 1875 in Nadiad, a small village in Gujarat, Patel became the first Deputy Prime Minister of India. He died on December 15, 1950.

Popularly known as the 'Iron Man' of India, Patel was conferred with the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, in 1991 for his services to the nation.