First Home Minister of India
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (Gujarati: [ʋəlːəbːʰɑi dʒʰəʋeɾbʰɑi pəʈel]; pə-TEL; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), endeared as Sardar,[a] was an Indian statesman. He served as the first deputy Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1950. He was a barrister and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence, guiding its integration into a united, independent nation.[1] He was one of the conservative members of the Indian National Congress. In India and elsewhere, he was often called Sardar, meaning "chief" in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He acted as Home Minister during the political integration of India and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.[2]
