A staunch socialist and an ardent follower of Ram Manohar Lohia, as a youth, he was inspired by Shantaveri Gopala Gowda.
Patel created history in Lok Sabha in 1967 when he spoke in his mother tongue Kannada in the house.
The then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy allowed and encouraged Patel to go ahead with his speech.
[6] He did so in vindication of the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution in which all the great languages of India have been given a pride of Place.
He was elected for the second term in 1983, and served as a cabinet minister in the Janata Party government headed by Ramakrishna Hegde.
His political acumen came to fore when he deftly handled stiff dissidence from fellow partymen throughout his tenure.
A deft handler of any situation, Patel had the capability to withstand criticism and was endowed with abundant patience to dismiss them cheerfully.