In Pics: Narendra Modi flags off 'Run for Unity'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday flagged off an enthusiasm-filled Run for Unity and himself briskly walked down Rajpath after paying rich tributes to free India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.Modi led the nation in paying tributes to Sardar Patel on his 139th birth anniversary, being commemorated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day, and recalled his key role in unifying a newly independent India.The prime minister first paid floral tributes at the statue of Sardar Patel at Patel Chowk in the heart of New Delhi at 7.30 a.m.He later addressed thousands of people, including school children, college students, sports persons and government officials, gathered to participate in the ‘Run for Unity' at Vijay Chowk.The prime minister, dressed in a white kurta-churidar with a red ‘angvastra' draped across his shoulder, said that a country which forgets its history can never create history and that “we should not divide historical legacy on the basis of ideologies”.Modi referred to Patel's role in integrating princely states after India gained independence.He said Mahatma Gandhi seems incomplete without Sardar Patel and they formed an “unbreakable pair”.He also referred to late prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination on this day in 1984, and in reference to the anti-Sikh riots that followed, he said the incident 30 years ago “had hurt the unity of the country” for which Patel had striven.Modi also made the people take a pledge to work for the country's unity and integrity.Modi enthused the crowd with some catchy slogans on India's unity among diversity - “Bhasha anek, bhav ek; rajya anek, desh ek; path anek, lakshya ek; boli anek, swar ek; rang anek, tiranga ek; samaj anek, Bharat ek; riwaj anek, sanskar ek; karya anek, sankalp ek; rah anek, manzil ek; chehre anek, muskan ek”.The people cheered, clapped, and chanted “Modi, Modi” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.The prime minister then flagged off the run, with a sea of enthusiastic supporters crowding around him with their mobiles held aloft trying to capture the moment as the he walked down Rajpath for some distance.Earlier, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, while addressing the crowd, said as a child he was very inspired by Sardar Patel and, in a reference to the previous Congress governments, added that the country has not done justice by Patel by ignoring his contribution to the country's unification.Attired in a white T-shirt, white track pants and sports shoes, Naidu later went jogging down Rajpath, joined by ministerial colleagues and aides.Hundreds of people, who were waiting in the Central Vista grounds flanking Rajpath, then swarmed on the road to join in the run, many wearing T-shirts with the slogan Run for Unity inscribed on it.Well known sports people, including Gautam Gambhir and Vijender Singh, were also among the crowd and attracted a lot of attention.Hundreds of senior school children, enthusiastic college students, security forces personnel, including from the National Security Guard attired in black, the Sashastra Seema Bal, and government officials all took part in the short run that culminated at India Gate.Along with the Prime Minister, Home Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off ‘Run for Unity' in Hyderabad. Observing that the English rulers did not intend to see India remain “Akhand” post-Independence, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said it was Sardar Patel who united the country. “...It was not the intention of Englishmen that India remains intact (Akhand Bharat).But, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel united more than 562 princely states with India,” he said, after paying tributes to the ‘Iron Man of India' on his birth anniversary here.Hailing the leadership of the country's first Home Minister, he said the credit for making Hyderabad an integral part of India goes to Patel.Singh administered a pledge in Telugu on the occasion and inaugurated the ‘Run for Unity' from Patel's statue in front of the Legislative Assembly Building here. He symbolically took part in the run.BJP national Vice President and MP Bandaru Dattatreya, Floor leader of BJP in Telangana Legislative Assembly K Lakshman, state BJP President G Kishan Reddy and other leaders attended the event.Union Minister for Water Resource and River Development Uma Bharati today led ‘Run for Unity' here on the 139th birth anniversary of the first Home Minister of the country Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The run which started from Shaheed Smarak, culminated at Patel's statue near GPO park in Hazratganj.There was an awkward moment during the run when Bharati lost her balance and staggered, but she regained immediately. Later, the minister clarified and said that she had some knee problem over the past few days.Similar events were organised in other districts of Uttar Pradesh which were led by union ministers and senior party leaders. Mobile cameras were held aloft and the crowd surged forward with chants of "Modi, Modi" as soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi climbed down the dais to flag off the Run for Unity here Friday to mark the 139th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.The security personnel, who till then were strictly preventing the people from moving forward, were unable to prevent the surge of the crowd from getting closer to the prime minister as he walked down for some length of Rajpath.Soon it was like a mad melee, and security personnel looked helpless as the participants collected enthusiastically to join Modi in the Run for Unity.The Special Protection Group (SPG) soon swung into action and formed a ring around Modi as he led the run with a few selected sportspersons, including wrestler Sushil Kumar, boxer Vijender Singh and cricketer Gautam Gambhir.The enthusiastic crowd was undeterred. Even as some tried their best to come close to Modi, many others took out their mobiles to click Modi's photograph.Jogging shoes were the order of the day, as everyone, young and old alike came sporting such footwear in order to join the run.From school children to college students, to members of the security forces, including the National Security Guards and Sashastra Seema Bal, and government officials, most came prepared for the short run from Vijay Chowk to India Gate.While some officials who are of the sporty kind were in full sports gear, with jogging tracksuits and shoes, most others wore jogging shoes.Most government officials, who came attired in sporting gear for the run, brought along their formal office attire too in order to quickly change before entering office at 9 a.m.Subhash, an official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, said he kept the change of clothes in his car and would change before attending office.Keeping in mind the piles of strewn plastic bottles, wrappers and paper plates on Rajpath lawns that had fetched bad publicity Oct 2 when the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India campaign was launched by Modi, the crowd gathered for the Run for Unity was requested not to litter."Please remember to throw away the water bottles in the dustbins," a woman announcer repeatedly requested the crowd before Modi arrived at the venue.The organisers kept large stacks of 250 ml water bottles at the venue for the participants. But there were not enough dustbins to be found.Sure enough, empty bottles were flung on the lawns of Rajpath.But apparently wiser after the last experience, the authorities did not wait for the lawns to empty out of crowds before beginning the cleaning up.Cleaners were busy quickly picking up strewn plastic bottles with great alacrity while the participants were still running the length from Vijay Chowk to India Gate.Some of the fixed large dustbins near India Gate were surprisingly kept facing downwards.For all the attention Swachh Bharat is getting, the parking area outside the premier National Museum, facing the plush Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan, was seen littered with rubbish at 7 a.m.New Indian Foreign Service (IFS) trainees of the Foreign Service Institute, accompanied by their Dean Nengcha Lhouvum - all attired in jogging attire - were among the participants of the Run for Unity.While the dean, a senior external affairs ministry official, was allowed to go into the special enclosure for government officials to join other senior officials, including Joint Secretary Ajay Bisari, who all were geared up for the run, the IFS trainees were not allowed to join her.After a lot of pleading and cajoling, the police finally allowed them inside.