Srinagar, Nov 01: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that strong governance and national unity had crushed the roots of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the region’s complete integration after the abrogation of Article 370 reflected Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s vision of a united India.
He said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had wanted to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir with India, just as he did with other princely states, but that then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did not allow it.
Addressing the gathering after the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, Modi said Patel’s goal was to bring every princely state under one flag and Constitution.
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“Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states. But Nehru ji stopped his wish from being fulfilled. Kashmir was divided, given a separate Constitution and a separate flag, and the nation suffered for decades because of Congress’s mistake,” he said.
He said Patel believed that instead of writing history, one should work hard to create it. “After 2014, the country has once again seen the extraordinary willpower inspired by Sardar Patel’s vision. Today, Kashmir has broken the chains of Article 370 and has completely joined the mainstream,” he said.
Modi said the developments in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few years reflected Patel’s dream of a united and strong India. “Today, even the leaders of Pakistan and terrorism have come to know of the true strength of India,” he said.
Referring to security operations, the PM said the whole world had witnessed India’s capability in “Operation Sindoor”. He said India had adopted a policy of decisive response to any threat. “Today, if anyone dares to raise an eye on India, India will enter their homes and act. Every time, India’s response is bigger and more decisive than before. This is a message for the enemies of India,” he said, adding that Patel never compromised on the country’s security and dignity.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the government’s actions against internal security threats. “In the last 11 years, India’s greatest success has been in breaking the back of the Naxalites and Maoists,” Modi said.
He recalled that before 2014, several parts of the country were effectively under the control of Naxalite groups. “The Constitution did not work in those areas, and the police administration could not function. The Naxalites and Maoists issued their own orders, did not allow roads to be built, and destroyed schools, colleges, and hospitals. The administration was helpless before them,” he said.
Modi said that after 2014, the government took steps to weaken the Naxalite movement and eliminate the support structure of “urban Naxalites”. “We put an end to the support of the urban Naxalites and Maoists,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that the efforts of the government over the last decade had ensured that the Constitution now applies in all regions of the country. He said that the work started by Patel had reached its logical conclusion, with Jammu and Kashmir becoming an integral part of the national mainstream.
National Unity Day is observed every year on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a key role in uniting more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union after Independence. (KNO)
