New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel did not receive the respect he deserved from the Congress government at the time, emphasising that India's first home minister was awarded the Bharat Ratna after a delay of 41 years.

On the occasion of National Unity Day, the Union Home Minister credited PM Modi for conceptualising the Statue of Unity idea and building a grand memorial in Sardar Patel's honour.

"Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was not given the adequate respect by the Congress government of that time. Sardar Patel was awarded the Bharat Ratna after a delay of 41 years...Neither a memorial nor a monument was built anywhere in the country...It was only when Narendra Modi became t...