New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday invoked Sardar Patel to call for unity and harmony, saying that India's first home minister had played a stellar role in unifying the country and this was a primary condition for progress and development. 

This is the second time in a week that Modi has spoken on theme of national and social unity, having referred to India's diversity being its pride and peace and harmony being the basis of development in his previous "Mann Ki Baat" radio address. 

"Unity is our biggest strength … We have to move forward with the mantra of unity, peace and harmony," the Prime Minister said while flagging off a "Run for Unity" on the 140th birth anniversary of Patel at Rajpath in the capital. "If 125 crore Indians with the mantra of unity, peace and harmony walk one step together shoulder to shoulder, then the country will move 125 crore steps in one go," he said. 

Modi's comments come in the backdrop of protests by writers, academics and scientists against what they said is a "growing climate of intolerance". While BJP leaders reject the criticism as motivated and point to the political affiliations of some of the protestors, the party maintains it is committed to the rule of law. 

The Prime Minister avoided joining issue with his critics and spoke of the government's "Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat" initiative where a state will be encouraged to "twin" another state for a couple of years. "During this time school children can learn more about the partner state, may be learn about its songs and culture," Modi said. 

The Prime Minister, often accused by Congress of shading the contributions of its past leaders, remembered Indira Gandhi as Saturday was her death anniversary, saying she was martyred and cannot be forgotten. 

The event saw Modi continue with the process of "appropriation" of Sardar Patel even as Congress slammed his comments as being insincere and argued that Patel was a Congress icon who had acted against the RSS in post-Independence India. 

This did not prevent the Prime Minister and urban affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu from extolling Sardar as the symbol of national unity with Naidu saying that India would have been fortunate if he had been its first PM. Sidestepping Nehru, Modi took a swipe at dynastic politics, saying Patel had not promoted any family member in political life. 

"If the country has to move forward and attain new heights of development, then the first guarantee is … Irrespective of our language and attachment of our feelings and ideology to any inspiration or system from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Atak to Cuttack, if our goal is to take mother India to new heights in the world, then the first condition for that is unity, peace and harmony," he said. 

"Our strength is a nation bound together by unity and which can sacrifice everything for unity and this is the message of Sardar sahab," he said, recalling that Patel's life was dedicated to national unity.(Agencies)