One
lesser known point of his contribution to India. India 's Lakshdweep
and Minicoy Islands located very very strategically in the Indian Ocean
are 100 % Muslim. When , in 1947 , India was being divided on communal
lines , Sardar Patel sent an Indian Naval ship to Lakshdweep which
raised the Indian Tricolor there. After a few days a Pakistani ship arrived but had to return.
The
greatness of Sardar was that unlike Kashmir ( which is only Muslim
MAJORITY ) that Sardar Patel never let Lakshdweep ever become an Issue.
------------
Had
Sardar 's views prevailed there would not have been any Kashmir problem
and India would not have surrendered abjectly in Tibet. With Tibet
existing as an independent nation , there would not have been any
hostile Chinese neighborhood. Sardar Patel had warned Nehru against the
Chinese designs on Tibet and the repercussions it would have on India..
--