The Congress on Monday paid tributes to India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi saying the most fitting tribute to him would be to keep the flame of unity he ignited shining brighter than ever.

Patel is considered the chief architect of integration of the erstwhile princely states with the Union of India.

“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s ironclad will united India. The most fitting tribute to him would be to keep the flame of unity he ignited shining brighter than ever,” Gandhi said in a tweet.