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Amit Shah to address 'Rashtriya Ekta Divas' event near Statue of Unity in Gujarat
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel will also attend the celebrations, alongside Shah, to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the chief minister's office confirmed in a tweet.
Union home minister Amit Shah will on Sunday attend the Rashtriya Ekta Divas or National Unity Day celebrations at Kevadiya in Gujarat, near the 182-metre-tall statue dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, according to news agency PTI. Shah is also scheduled to address the event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to attend the event as he is on a two-day visit to Rome for the G20 Summit at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi. PM Modi will, however, address the function through a recorded video message. The authorities earlier announced that the Prime Minister would attend the celebrations at the Statue of Unity near Kevadia.
Shah will offer floral tributes at the statue, and then preside over a parade in which paramilitary and Gujarat police personnel will take part, PTI quoted an official of the Statue of Unity Authority as saying.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel will also attend the celebrations, alongside Shah, to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the chief minister's office confirmed in a tweet.
As many as 75 cyclists from the ITBP, SSB, CISF, CRPF and BSF, who have travelled approximately 9,000km from various parts of the country to Kevadiya, will be taking part in the event, reported news agency ANI.
Apart from that, 101 motorcyclists from police of Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, who have travelled across the country to reach Kevadiya after covering approximately 9,200km, will also be part of the event, said the ANI report further.
Further, the event will also see the participation of 23 medal winners in the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
India celebrates Rashtriya Ekta Divas on October 31 every year to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who served as the first deputy prime minister of India from 1947 to 1950 and played a significant role in the country's struggle for Independence.
