Editing Vallabhbhai Patel (section)

== Fight for independence ==
In September 1917, Patel delivered a speech in [[Borsad]], encouraging Indians nationwide to sign Gandhi's petition demanding ''[[Swaraj]]''{{snd}}self-rule{{snd}}from Britain. A month later, he met Gandhi for the first time at the Gujarat Political Conference in [[Godhra]]. On Gandhi's encouragement, Patel became the secretary of the [[Gujarat Sabha]], a public body that would become the Gujarati arm of the [[Indian National Congress]]. Patel now energetically fought against ''[[Veth (India)|veth]]''{{snd}}the forced servitude of Indians to Europeans{{snd}}and organised relief efforts in the wake of plague and [[famine]] in [[Kheda]].{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=43}} The Kheda peasants' plea for exemption from taxation had been turned down by British authorities. Gandhi endorsed waging a struggle there, but could not lead it himself due to his activities in [[Champaran]]. When Gandhi asked for a Gujarati activist to devote himself completely to the assignment, Patel volunteered, much to Gandhi's delight.{{sfn|Parikh|1953|p=55}} Though his decision was made on the spot, Patel later said that his desire and commitment came after intense personal contemplation, as he realised he would have to abandon his career and material ambitions.{{sfn|Raojibhai Patel|1972|p=39}}
[[File:Gandhi and Sadar Patel Bardoli Satyagraha.jpg|thumb|Patel and Gandhi, Bardoli Satyagraha, 1928.]]

=== Satyagraha in Gujarat ===

Supported by Congress volunteers [[Narhari Parikh]], [[Mohanlal Pandya]], and [[Abbas Tyabji]], Vallabhbhai Patel began a village-by-village tour in the [[Kheda district]] documenting grievances and asking villagers for their support for a statewide revolt by [[tax resistance|refusing to pay taxes]]. Patel emphasised the potential hardships and the need for complete unity and non-violence from every village in the face of provocation.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=65}} When the revolt was launched and tax revenue withheld, the government sent police and intimidation squads to seize property, including confiscating barn animals and whole farms. Patel organised a network of volunteers to work with individual villages, helping them hide valuables and protect themselves against raids. Thousands of activists and farmers were arrested, but Patel was not. The revolt evoked sympathy and admiration across India, including among pro-British Indian politicians. The government agreed to negotiate with Patel and decided to suspend the payment of taxes for a year, even scaling back the rate. Patel emerged as a hero to Gujaratis.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=66–68}} In 1920 he was elected president of the newly formed [[Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee]]; he would serve as its president until 1945.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Patel supported Gandhi's [[Non-cooperation movement (1909–22)|Non-cooperation movement]] and toured the state to recruit more than 300,000 members and raise over Rs.{{nbsp}}1.5{{nbsp}}million in funds.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=91}} Helping organise bonfires in Ahmedabad in which British goods were burned, Patel threw in all his English-style clothes. Along with his daughter Mani and son Dahya, he switched completely to wearing [[khadi]], the locally produced cotton clothing. Patel also supported Gandhi's controversial suspension of resistance in the wake of the [[Chauri Chaura incident]]. In Gujarat, he worked extensively in the following years against alcoholism, [[Dalit|untouchability]], and [[Indian caste system|caste discrimination]], as well as for the empowerment of women. In the Congress, he was a resolute supporter of Gandhi against his [[Swaraj Party|Swarajist]] critics. Patel was elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922, 1924, and 1927. During his terms, he oversaw improvements in infrastructure: the supply of electricity was increased, and drainage and sanitation systems were extended throughout the city. The school system underwent major reforms. He fought for the recognition and payment of teachers employed in schools established by nationalists (independent of British control) and even took on sensitive [[Hindu]]–[[Muslim]] issues.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=134}} Patel personally led relief efforts in the aftermath of the torrential rainfall of 1927 that caused major floods in the city and in the Kheda district, and great destruction of life and property. He established refugee centres across the district, mobilised volunteers, and arranged for supplies of food, medicines, and clothing, as well as emergency funds from the government and the public.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=138–141}}

When Gandhi was in prison, Patel was asked by Members of Congress to lead the ''satyagraha'' in [[Nagpur]] in 1923 against a law banning the raising of the Indian flag. He organised thousands of volunteers from all over the country to take part in processions of people violating the law. Patel negotiated a settlement obtaining the release of all prisoners and allowing nationalists to hoist the flag in public. Later that year, Patel and his allies uncovered evidence suggesting that the police were in league with a local [[dacoity|''dacoit'']] (criminal) gang related to Devar Baba in the Borsad ''[[taluka]]'' even as the government prepared to levy a major tax for fighting dacoits in the area. More than 6,000 villagers assembled to hear Patel speak in support of proposed agitation against the tax, which was deemed immoral and unnecessary. He organised hundreds of Congressmen, sent instructions, and received information from across the district. Every village in the ''taluka'' resisted payment of the tax and prevented the seizure of property and land. After a protracted struggle, the government withdrew the tax. Historians believe that one of Patel's key achievements was the building of cohesion and trust amongst the different castes and communities, which had been divided along socio-economic lines.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=119–125}}

In April 1928, Patel returned to the independence struggle from his municipal duties in Ahmedabad when [[Bardoli]] suffered from a serious double predicament of a famine and a steep tax hike. The revenue hike was steeper than it had been in Kheda even though the famine covered a large portion of Gujarat. After cross-examining and talking to village representatives, emphasising the potential hardship and need for non-violence and cohesion, Patel initiated the struggle with a complete denial of taxes.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=149–151}} Patel organised volunteers, camps, and an information network across affected areas. The revenue refusal was stronger than in Kheda, and many sympathy ''satyagrahas'' were undertaken across Gujarat. Despite arrests and seizures of property and land, the struggle intensified. The situation came to a head in August, when, through sympathetic intermediaries, he negotiated a settlement that included repealing the tax hike, reinstating village officials who had resigned in protest, and returning seized property and land. It was by the women of Bardoli, during the struggle and after the Indian National Congress victory in that area, that Patel first began to be referred to as ''Sardar'' (or chief).{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=168}}

==== Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy: 1931 ====
Under the chairmanship of Sardar Patel, the "Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy" resolution was passed by the Congress in 1931.

[[File:Congressmen.png|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Maulana Azad]], [[Jamnalal Bajaj]], Patel (third from left, in the foreground), [[Subhash Chandra Bose]], and other Congressmen at Wardha.]]
As Gandhi embarked on the [[Dandi Salt March]], Patel was arrested in the village of Ras and was put on trial without witnesses, with no lawyer or journalists allowed to attend. Patel's arrest and Gandhi's subsequent arrest caused the [[Salt Satyagraha]] to greatly intensify in Gujarat. Districts across Gujarat launched an anti-tax rebellion until and unless Patel and Gandhi were released.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=193}} Once released, Patel served as interim Congress president, but was re-arrested while leading a procession in Bombay. After the signing of the [[Gandhi–Irwin Pact]], Patel was elected president of Congress for its 1931 session in [[Karachi]]. Here the Congress ratified the pact and committed itself to the defence of fundamental rights and civil liberties. It advocated the establishment of a secular nation with a minimum wage and the abolition of untouchability and serfdom. Patel used his position as Congress president to organise the return of confiscated land to farmers in Gujarat.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=206}} Upon the failure of the [[Round Table Conference]] in London, Gandhi and Patel were arrested in January 1932 when the struggle re-opened, and imprisoned in the Yeravda Central Jail. During this term of imprisonment, Patel and Gandhi grew close to each other, and the two developed a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness. Their mutual relationship could be described as that of an elder brother (Gandhi) and his younger brother (Patel). Despite having arguments with Gandhi, Patel respected his instincts and leadership. In prison, the two discussed national and social issues, read Hindu epics, and cracked jokes. Gandhi taught Patel [[Sanskrit]]. Gandhi's secretary, [[Mahadev Desai]], kept detailed records of conversations between Gandhi and Patel.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=221–222}} When Gandhi embarked on a fast-unto-death protesting the separate electorates allocated for untouchables, Patel looked after Gandhi closely and himself refrained from partaking of food.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=226–229}} Patel was later moved to a jail in [[Nasik]], and refused a British offer for a brief release to attend the cremation of his brother Vithalbhai, who had died in October 1933. He was finally released in July 1934.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

Patel's position at the highest level in the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] was largely connected with his role from 1934 onwards (when the Congress abandoned its [[boycott]] of elections) in the party organisation. Based at an apartment in [[Mumbai|Bombay]], he became the Congress's main fundraiser and chairman of its Central Parliamentary Board, playing the leading role in selecting and financing candidates for the 1934 elections to the [[Central Legislative Assembly]] in New Delhi and for the provincial elections of 1936.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brass |first=Paul R. |title=Patel, Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai (1875/6–1950), Politician in India |publisher=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004}}</ref> In addition to collecting funds and selecting candidates, he also determined the Congress's stance on issues and opponents.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=248}} Not contesting a seat for himself, Patel nevertheless guided Congressmen elected in the provinces and at the national level. In 1935 Patel underwent surgery for [[haemorrhoids]], yet continued to direct efforts against the plague in Bardoli and again when a drought struck Gujarat in 1939. Patel guided the Congress ministries that had won power across India with the aim of preserving party discipline{{snd}}Patel feared that the British government would take advantage of opportunities to create conflict among elected Congressmen, and he did not want the party to be distracted from the goal of complete independence.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=266}} Patel clashed with [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]], opposing declarations of the adoption of socialism at the 1936 Congress session, which he believed was a diversion from the main goal of achieving independence. In 1938 Patel organised rank and file opposition to the attempts of then-Congress president [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] to move away from Gandhi's principles of non-violent resistance. Patel saw Bose as wanting more power over the party. He led senior Congress leaders in a protest that resulted in Bose's resignation. But criticism arose from Bose's supporters, socialists, and other Congressmen that Patel himself was acting in an authoritarian manner in his defence of Gandhi's authority.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

=== Legal Battle with Subhas Chandra Bose ===
Patel's elder brother [[Vithalbhai Patel]], died in [[Geneva]] on 22 October 1933.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patel |first1=Gordhanbhai I. |title=Vithalbhai Patel: Life and Times |volume=2  |date=1951 |publisher=University of Bombay |page=1228 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283981/page/n709/mode/2up |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Vithalbhai and [[Subhas Chandra Bose|Bose]] had been highly critical of Gandhi's leadership during their travels in Europe. "By the time Vithalbhai died in October 1933, Bose had become his primary caregiver. On his deathbed he left a will of sorts, bequeathing three-quarters of his money to Bose to use in promoting India's cause in other countries. When Patel saw a copy of the letter in which his brother had left a majority of his estate to Bose, he asked a series of questions: Why was the letter not attested by a doctor? Had the original paper been preserved? Why were the witnesses to that letter all men from Bengal and none of the many other veteran freedom activists and supporters of the Congress who had been present at Geneva where Vithalbhai had died? Patel may even have doubted the veracity of the signature on the document. The case went to the court and after a legal battle that lasted more than a year, the courts judged that Vithalbhai's estate could only be inherited by his legal heirs, that is, his family. Patel promptly handed the money over to the Vithalbhai Memorial Trust."{{sfn|Sengupta|2018|p={{page needed|date=February 2019}}}}

=== Quit India movement ===
{{Main|Quit India Movement}}
On the outbreak of World War II, Patel supported Nehru's decision to withdraw the Congress from central and provincial legislatures, contrary to Gandhi's advice, as well as an initiative by senior leader [[Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari]] to offer Congress's full support to Britain if it promised Indian independence at the end of the war and installed a democratic government right away. Gandhi had refused to support Britain on the grounds of his moral opposition to war, while [[Subhash Chandra Bose]] was in militant opposition to the British. The British government rejected Rajagopalachari's initiative, and Patel embraced Gandhi's leadership again.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=434–436}} He participated in Gandhi's call for individual disobedience, and was arrested in 1940 and imprisoned for nine months. He also opposed the proposals of the [[Cripps mission]] in 1942. Patel lost more than twenty pounds during his period in jail.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

[[File:Gandhi, Patel and Maulana Azad Sept 1940.jpg|thumb|[[Maulana Azad|Azad]], Patel, and [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Gandhi]] at an [[All India Congress Committee]] (AICC) meeting in Bombay, 1940]]

While Nehru, Rajagopalachari, and [[Maulana Azad]] initially criticised Gandhi's proposal for an all-out campaign of civil disobedience to force the British to grant Indian independence, Patel was its most fervent supporter. Arguing that the British would retreat from India as they had from [[Singapore]] and [[Burma]], Patel urged that the campaign start without any delay.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=447–479}} Though feeling that the British would not leave immediately, Patel favoured an all-out rebellion that would galvanise the Indian people, who had been divided in their response to the war. In Patel's view, such a rebellion would force the British to concede that continuation of colonial rule had no support in India, and thus speed the transfer of power to Indians.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|pp=311–312}} Believing strongly in the need for revolt, Patel stated his intention to resign from the Congress if the revolt were not approved.{{sfn|Nandurkar|1981|p=301}} Gandhi strongly pressured the AICC to approve an all-out campaign of civil disobedience, and the AICC approved the campaign on 7 August 1942. Though Patel's health had suffered during his stint in jail, he gave emotional speeches to large crowds across India,{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=313}} asking them to refuse to pay taxes and to participate in civil disobedience, mass protests, and a shutdown of all civil services. He raised funds and prepared a second tier of command as a precaution against the arrest of national leaders.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=474–477}} Patel made a climactic speech to more than 100,000 people gathered at [[Gowalia Tank]] in Bombay on 7 August:

{{blockquote|The Governor of [[Burma]] boasts in London that they left Burma only after reducing everything to dust. So you promise the same thing to India?&nbsp;... You refer in your radio broadcasts and newspapers to the government established in Burma by Japan as a puppet government? What sort of government do you have in Delhi now?...When France fell before the Nazi onslaught, in the midst of total war, Mr.&nbsp;Churchill offered union with England to the French. That was indeed a stroke of inspired statesmanship. But when it comes to India? Oh no! Constitutional changes in the midst of a war? Absolutely unthinkable&nbsp;... The objective this time is to free India before the Japanese can come and be ready to fight them if they come. They will round up the leaders, round up all. Then it will be the duty of every Indian to put forth his utmost effort—within non-violence. No source is to be left untapped; no weapon untried. This is going to be the opportunity of a lifetime.{{sfn|Parikh|1956|pp=477–479}}}}

Historians believe that Patel's speech was instrumental in electrifying nationalists, who up to then had been sceptical of the proposed rebellion. Patel's organising work in this period is credited by historians with ensuring the success of the rebellion across India.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=316}} Patel was arrested on 9 August and was imprisoned with the entire [[Congress Working Committee]] from 1942 to 1945 at the fort in [[Ahmednagar]]. Here he spun cloth, played bridge, read a large number of books, took long walks, and practised gardening. He also provided emotional support to his colleagues while awaiting news and developments from the outside.{{sfn|Pattabhi|1946|p=395}} Patel was deeply pained at the news of the deaths of Mahadev Desai and [[Kasturba Gandhi]] later that year.{{sfn|Pattabhi|1946|p=13}} But Patel wrote in a letter to his daughter that he and his colleagues were experiencing "fullest peace" for having done "their duty".{{sfn|Nandurkar|1981|p=390}} Even though other political parties had opposed the struggle and the British colonial government had responded by imprisoning most of the leaders of Congress, the Quit India movement was "by far the most serious rebellion since that of 1857", as the viceroy cabled to [[Winston Churchill]]. More than 100,000 people were arrested and numerous protestors were killed in violent confrontations with the [[Indian Imperial Police]]. Strikes, protests, and other revolutionary activities had broken out across India.{{sfn|Rajmohan Gandhi|1990|p=318}} When Patel was released on 15 June 1945, he realised that the British government was preparing proposals to transfer power to India.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}