MEHSANA: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an " iron man " for accelerating the pace of development in the country.The "Iron Man" sobriquet is used to describe the first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for his uncompromising commitment to unify the country post-Independence.Addressing a gathering of monks in Visnagar town in Mehsana district, Adityanath also equated Modi's leadership with that of Mahatma Gandhi and Patel. "Immediately after Independence, when Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had visited Saurashtra, he pledged to renovate the Somnath Temple. This pledge could have been taken for other parts of the country as well but it was the effect of Gujarat's soil... It's a holy land that gave leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the country in difficult times. Development has reached remote corners," the UP chief minister said.He hailed Modi for being instrumental in getting UNESCO recognition for Yoga and Kumbh festival

Source: Economic Times April 08, 2018 15:11 UTC