Why Sardar Patel is the iron man of India?

                          Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the first Home Minister of India. He is better known  as 'The Iron man'. Let us now see why he is known as 'The Iron man'.

The scenario in 1946-47:

                        There were 565 princely states in India. Some of the Maharajas and Nawabs were patriotic. They have agreed to join the Indian union. But most of them had interest to become independent rulers. Some of them went to the extent of planning to send their representatives to the United Nations Organization. Patel asked all of them to join in the freedom of their nation and act as responsible rulers who cared about the future of their people. He made them understand the impossibility of independence from the Indian republic, especially in the presence of growing opposition from their subjects. He made them join the Indian Union. Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Junagarh initially did not want to join India. Hyderabad nizam prefered to be with Pakistan. Sardar Patel's military operations and untiring efforts towards the unity of the country brought the success.

Interesting thing about Lakshadweep:

                          The people of Lakshadweep islands are isolated from the mainstream of the country and they have learnt about Indian independence after many days. The majority of population in Lakshadweep was muslim and Patel realised that Pakistan could lay claim to these islands on the grounds of Muslim majority.
                         

                          The islands were very far away from Pakistan. So, Patel has sent an Indian Navy ship to Lakshadweep Islands to hoist the national flag. A similar ship was sent by Pakistan from Karachi.After India hoisting its flag, vessels belonging to the Pakistan Navy were spotted near the islands.These vessels however went back to Karachi after seeing the Indian flag flying over the Lakshadweep. Else, the regions of Hyderabad, Lakshadweep would have been a disputed territory.

                           Gandhiji believed that, this aggressive attitude of  Patel is not suited for a PM post and hence, he was made Home minister and deputy to the PM. Many believe that, the Kashmir problem and the China war would never have arised if he was in the place of Nehru.

                           Patel united a scattered nation. Due to the achievement of this massive task, Sardar Patel got the title of 'Iron Man'. After almost four decades, his services to the nation were recognized and Sardar Patel was conferred with Bharat Ratna in 1991. While, Indira gandhi, being the then incumbent prime minister, took a Bharata Ratna for herself in 1971.