Ekta Nagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on 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 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.