Ekta Nagar (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the country’s first premier Jawaharlal Nehru, claiming he prevented Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from fully integrating Kashmir into the Indian Union.
Addressing the national celebrations on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Modi asserted that the subsequent “mistake” on Kashmir, resulting from the wish of the then-Prime Minister not being fulfilled, led to decades of turmoil and bloodshed in the region.
During his speech, Modi also referenced “Operation Sindoor” declaring the world has witnessed that India will “strike within enemy territory” if challenged, underscoring the country will “never compromise on its security and honour” and a message that “this is the India of the Iron Man, Sardar Patel.”
He also raised the issue of infiltrators, calling them a “grave threat” to national unity and the demographic balance.
“Many in today’s younger generation may not be aware that Sardar Patel wished for the complete integration of Kashmir, just as he had successfully merged other princely states,” Modi said.
He said independent India’s first home minister believed one should not waste time writing history but “we should work hard to create history.”
Modi noted the Kashmir region was ultimately divided by a separate constitution and emblem, remarking the initial error “engulfed the nation in turmoil for decades.”
The PM’s address focused heavily on national unity and security, infiltration of illegal immigrants, contrasting the “steely resolve” of Patel with the approach of post-independence governments, which he accused of adopting “spineless” policies.
“Due to the Congress’s weak policies, a part of Kashmir went under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, which then fueled state-sponsored terrorism. Kashmir and the country paid a heavy price, yet the Congress always bowed down to terrorism. The Congress forgot Sardar Patel’s vision, but we have not,” he told the gathering at the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations.
Modi blamed infiltration for disrupting India’s demographic balance, and said that for the first time the country has decided to have a decisive fight against this threat and will remove each and every infiltrator from its soil.
He highlighted Patel’s success in accomplishing the “seemingly impossible task” of integrating over 550 princely states after independence.
The PM regretted that subsequent governments, following Patel’s demise, did not demonstrate the same commitment to national sovereignty, pointing to Kashmir problems and said due to “weak policies,” a part of Kashmir fell under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
Extending his critique beyond Kashmir, Modi regretted that successive post-Patel governments “did not demonstrate the same seriousness towards national sovereignty,” pointing to challenges in the Northeast and the spread of Naxal-Maoist terrorism as direct consequences.
He drew a direct contrast between the past and his government’s tenure, asserting after 2014, the nation “once again witnessed a steely resolve inspired by Sardar Patel.”
“Today, Kashmir has broken free from the shackles of Article 370 and is fully integrated into the mainstream,” the PM said, adding, this move has made “Pakistan and the masterminds of terrorism” realise “the true strength of India.”
