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“We want such a Swarajya (self-rule) in which hundreds of people do not die for want of bread. The food produced by the farmers is not taken away from them and sent abroad. The people should not be dependent on others for clothes. In Swarajya, the honour of the people should be protected essentially. Swadeshi should be the natural Dharma of people. Work should be done in indigenous language. Medium of instruction should be indigenous language. People’s freedom should be protected equally without distinction. Culture and values should always occupy a high place in life. Prices of goods of public consumption should be controlled. Justice should be accessible to every citizen in Swarajya. Justice should not be costly. There should be no sky-high difference in the salaries of officers and employees. People should be dutiful to make the nation self-reliant, strong and safe in all manner and the country must be honoured at the international level.” –Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (The Maker of United India)

The above-quoted statement of Sardar Patel was in the context of the future of Bharat standing at the door of freedom from Colonial Rule. In this statement of the Sardar, there was a clear picture of independent Bharat of his imagination. Such a picture, in which there was a longing for self-reliance of all the countrymen. There was indigenization and respect for national values and culture in every form. There was a wish for nation-building with the resources available with the country itself and the hard work of the countrymen acknowledging the dignity of labour. In such a Swarajya, it was a wish for guarantee of equality, liberty, justice and rights to all, general and elite. Along with this, the Bharatiyas had to achieve a respectable position for the nation in the international arena. Thus, in short, a self-reliant, developed-prosperous and strong Bharat was to be built in every way.                                                                                                                                           

Such a strong and capable Bharat could be built by Indians themselves with their untiring efforts. Indians themselves could be proud of this self-reliance and the whole world would respect such a Swarajya. Capable and strong Bharat should make its place in the world and play its leading role in international affairs, and also contribute towards the welfare of the whole world. Such was the Bharat of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s imagination. For the building of such an Bharat, undoubtedly, fulfillment of the basic needs of every countryman was necessary, and it is so till today. It was necessary for every Indian to get equal opportunities for his own progress, and it is still relevant today. Without the fulfillment of basic needs, and in the absence of equal opportunities, no deprived citizen can contribute to the prosperity, prestige and unity-building of the country. Such one cannot discharge his indispensable role for the country’s pride, self-reliance and integrity, even if he wants to do so. Once your platter is full, only then you can think about sharing it with others.

Bharat is an agricultural country. It is a country of lakhs of villages. Agriculture is still the mainstay of the nation’s economy. Yet, thousands of farmers commit suicide every year in the country. The reasons behind the suicides are irreparable damage caused by major natural calamities, consequent crop failure and non-availability of alternative means. The debt pressure on the farmers and the resulting huge mental stress on them. In such a situation, crores of peasants fall prey to bad habits. They embrace death. Not only this, even after seventy-eight years of the country’s independence, farmers are not getting fair prices for their crops. They are living in losses and overall agriculture work is not a boon for them, but becomes a curse very often. If we look at the Government statistics of the period 2001-2014, it will become apparent that during this period more than two lakh farmers committed suicide. And this sequence of suicides has not stopped. This is, indeed, a sad, unfortunate and shameful situation in respect of those farmers, who were, for the Sardar, the soul of the country; they are so till today. For farmers, Vallabhbhai used to say, “Whenever the farmers suffer, my soul melts. If I take away their pain and make them self-sufficient, what greater fortune will I have than this.”

There are still about thirty-five crore people in Bharat below the poverty line. Most of them are villagers and farmers. In such a situation, there is no need to go into the details of their living state of life. Nevertheless, it can be said with certainty that the life of such people is that of scarcity. The daily income of many of them is less than one hundred rupees. What would be the standard of their life with this low income, it can be well estimated by all of us. Crores of people in the country are suffering from other problems. Health, education, housing as well as justice-accessibility are the major challenges before them. This situation is clearly in front of us even in the ‘Amritkal’ of the freedom of our country calling us for introspection while talking about Swarajya of the imagination or dream of Sardar Patel, who himself was an outstanding Kisan leader, a voice of rural India and also the maker of United India. Further, this expects us to act accordingly.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel worked in the front line in the freedom struggle of the nation. Along with playing a leading role in the success of the Kheda Satyagraha (1918 AD), he provided leadership to many other known Satyagrahas including the world renowned Bardoli Kisan Agitation (1928 AD). He also played a very important role in all the mass actions conducted under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi for the attainment of Swarajya. The Sardar became a source of inspiration for millions of villagers, farmers and labourers. He was the centre of their hopes. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel himself considered their self-reliance, social-equality and prosperity to be the touchstone of the Swarajya of Bharat. It is not only relevant even till date, but also the acid test of the achievements in the free nation.

After the freedom from British slavery, the country stepped forward towards its reconstruction; it is still progressing today. This truth cannot be denied. But, a lot remains to be done, especially in the socio-economic fields, keeping in mind the above-mentioned state. At the same time, there is a need for firm determination and a broad national outlook in the political sphere. There is a necessity to work keeping in mind the thoughts of Sardar Patel. Socio-national unity can be established in true sense only through common people’s equality and self-reliance, and unity of Bharat alone can ensure the country’s strength, prosperity and its rightful place in the world. Therefore, Sardar Patel’s statement regarding Swarajya –his vision of self-rule, is more relevant today than it was during his lifetime.