Amit Shah sets 2029 target for drug-free India, flags off 'Run for Unity'

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday flagged off the ‘Run for Unity’ in New Delhi to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day). Addressing the gathering, Shah said Patel had transformed India’s history and geography by uniting numerous princely states after Independence, laying the foundation for a united nation. He said Patel accomplished the task within 1,218 days of Independence, achieving what many leaders could not have done in their lifetimes.Slamming the Congress, Shah said,The Congress forgot Sardar Sahib, but PM Modi honored his towering personality by constructing the sky-kissing 'Statue of Unity'.

कांग्रेस ने सरदार साहब को भुलाने का काम किया, लेकिन मोदी जी ने गगनचुंबी 'स्टैच्यू ऑफ यूनिटी' बनाकर उनके विराट व्यक्तित्व को सम्मानित किया। https://t.co/yCOiO4Nwah

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 31, 2026

Shah said India had become free from Naxalism on March 31 this year and was now moving towards becoming a drug-free nation. The government has set a target of making India completely drug-free by December 31, 2029, he said, describing a drug-free society as the first step towards achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’.
Shah also administered the Unity Pledge to participants. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar were among those present. National Unity Day is observed annually on October 31 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.