Point no 1: Priyanka explains why BJP's tribute to Sardar Patel makes her happy

New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday derided the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel on his birth anniversary.

Vadra said BJP honouring Patel made her happy as it showed that they didn't have any freedom icon and was forced to honour a dedicated Congress man.

Sharing a candid picture of Patel with India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, she tweeted: "Sardar Patel was a dedicated leader of the Congress and believed in the Congress ideology. He was a close associate of Jawaharlal Nehru and was strictly against the RSS."

RSS or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the BJP.

"The BJP's attempt to appropriate Sardar Patel and its tributes make me very happy, because the BJP's action makes two things clear - one, they have no legendary freedom fighter of their own, almost all were linked with the Congress, and two, even Sardar Patel's enemies are forced to revere him," the Congress general secretary said in another tweet.

PM Modi and senior BJP leaders on Thursday hailed Patel for his contribution in unifying India after Independence.

Since 2014, October 31 is observed as National Unity Day and people from all walks of life participate in the Run for Unity. Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India.