Nehru stopped Patel from fully integrating Kashmir into India, says PM Modi
At the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas event in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Jawaharlal Nehru prevented Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir into India, calling it a “historic mistake” that led to decades of conflict and bloodshed in the region
Ekta Nagar (Gujarat): 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.
“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.”
On infiltration, he accused previous governments of prioritising “vote-bank politics” over national security by ignoring this issue and affirmed the country’s resolve to fight this threat. “These illegal immigrants have been occupying the resources and disturbing the demographic balance, putting the country’s unity at stake. But, past governments turned a blind eye to this important issue. For the sake of vote bank politics, the country’s security was deliberately put at risk,” he alleged.
Now, for the first time, the country has decided to fight a decisive battle against this big threat as well, Modi said, adding he had announced the formation of a Demography Mission from the Red Fort in August.
The PM said when the government was seriously addressing the issue, “some people are prioritising their own interests over the national interest” and fighting for rights of illegal immigrants. “They think that if the country has been broken once, it can continue to be broken again and again, and it doesn’t bother them,” he stated, adding the truth is that if the security and identity of the country are threatened, every citizen will be at risk.
“Therefore, today, on National Unity Day, we must reaffirm our resolve. We will ensure that every illegal immigrant living in India is expelled,” said the Prime Minister.
He claimed the Congress demonstrated a “colonial mentality” by removing a portion of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram,’ on religious grounds and asserted this act “laid the foundation for the partition of India.” “The day the Congress decided to break and divide Vande Mataram, on that very day, it laid the foundation for the partition of India. If the Congress hadn’t committed that sin, the picture of India today would be completely different,” Modi insisted.
He criticised the practice of “political untouchability” and the marginalisation of leaders with differing ideologies, citing the neglect of stalwarts like Sardar Patel, BR Ambedkar, and Jayaprakash Narayan. The PM noted the RSS was also subjected to attacks and conspiracies.
“Every person and every idea outside of one party and one family was attempted to be made untouchable. The mindset of attacking the country’s unity for political interests is part of a slave mentality. The Congress did not only inherit the party and power from the British, but it also adopted the slave mentality,” said the PM.
He highlighted his government’s efforts to honour all national figures, including the construction of the Statue of Unity, Panchteerth dedicated to Ambedkar, and the Prime Ministers’ Museum to honour all former PM.
Amid recent controversies in some states, the PM made it clear every language in India is a national language, and there has never been an attempt to impose one tongue on others.
He said language is an important pillar of India’s unity and India’s hundreds of languages and dialects are a symbol of its open and creative thinking.
“Because here, no community or group has ever used language as a weapon. There has never been an attempt to impose one language on others. That is why India has become such a linguistically rich nation in the world,” affirmed Modi.
“Therefore, we consider every language a national language and we are promoting every Indian language. We proudly say that India has Tamil, one of the oldest languages in the world. We have a treasure trove of knowledge like Sanskrit. Similarly, every Indian language has its own unique qualities,” he stated.
He said the government wants every child to study and progress in their mother tongue and citizens should also learn other languages.
The PM called on 140 crore citizens to defeat every conspiracy aimed at breaking national unity and to work together to achieve the goal of a developed and self-reliant India.
