New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged citizens to join the Run for Unity on October 31 to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of united India.

"Join the Run for Unity on 31st October and celebrate the spirit of togetherness! Let's honour Sardar Patel's vision of a united India," Modi said in a post on X.

Patel, born on October 31, 1875, was a freedom fighter and independent India's first home minister and deputy prime minister. He played a key role in the integration of over 500 princely states in the Union of India after Independence.

Patel's birth anniversary is also celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

The prime minister will lead the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade near Kevadia in Gujarat on October 3.

In his Mann ki Baat radio address on Sunday, the prime minister had said that this October 31 was special as it marked Sardar Patel's 150th Jayanti.

Run for Unity programs will be organised across the country to celebrate Sardar Patel's birth anniversary.