Taking on the Prime Minister for his comments on October 29 that he is proud Patel belonged to his party, Modi said, "Rana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru are highly respected. Were they BJP members? Will only those who belong to the BJP be given respect and honour. Country is greater than the party and those who sacrifice themselves for the country are greater."
He emphasised that nobody, not even him, can deny that Patel belonged to a party but his stature was such that he is respected by all. "We should not divide our legacy," Modi said.
