Vithalbhai Patel

His birthdate is clearly stated as 27 September 1873 on his last passport but the confusion arose from obituary notices after his death listing it incorrectly as 18 February 1871.

The rare idealism the religion impressed on his parents likely had a significant impact on the minds of Vithalbhai and his renowned brother Vallabhai Patel.

[2] Vithalbhai educated himself in Nadiad and in Bombay, and worked as a pleader (a junior lawyer) in the courts of Godhra and Borsad.

Vallabhbhai had saved enough money and ordered his passport and travel tickets, when the postman delivered them to Vithalbhai, it having been addressed to a Mr. V.J.

Vithalbhai insisted on traveling on those documents actually meant for Vallabhbhai, pointing out that it would be socially criticized that an older brother followed the lead of the younger.

Respecting his brother despite the obvious cruelty of fate on his own hard work, Vallabhbhai allowed Vithalbhai to proceed to England, and even paid for his stay.

He had no regional base of support, yet he was an influential leader who expanded the struggle through fiery speeches and articles published.

When Mahatma Gandhi aborted the struggle in 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident, Patel left the Congress to form the Swaraj Party with Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru, which would seek to foil the Raj by sabotaging the government after gaining entry in the councils.

De Valera wanted Vithalbhai to act as an arbitrator between the British Empire and Ireland in the dispute on the Irish Question.

As his last political act, Patel signed a statement written by Bose which called for a militant form of non-cooperation and "radical re-organisation of Congress".

Why were the witnesses to that letter all men from Bengal and none of the many other veteran freedom activists and supporters of the Congress who had been present at Geneva where Vithalbhai had died?