Modi honours Patel’s legacy, attacks Nehru

India’s first home minister Vallabhbhai Patel wanted to integrate the entirety of Kashmir into India just as he had done with the princely states but was prevented from doing so by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

- Maulik Pathak

In a speech marking the 150th birth anniversary of Patel, Modi also hit out at the Opposition, alleged that the national security policies of previous governments were weak, highlighted his government's work against Maoism, and cautioned that foreign infiltrators were destabilising India’s demographic balance.

“Sardar Patel wanted to unite all of Kashmir as he did with other princely states, but Nehru ji did not allow this to happen. Kashmir was divided and given a separate Constitution and flag — and the nation suffered for decades because of Congress's mistake,” Modi said after the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar.

“The mistake committed by the then ruling party on Kashmir engulfed the nation in turmoil for decades. Due to their weak policies, a part of Kashmir fell under Pakistan's illegal occupation, and Pakistan further fuelled terrorism,” he added.

Patel is credited for convincing 562 princely states to join newly independent India, and thereby safeguarding the territorial sovereignty of the nation.

Modi said Patel believed one should not waste time writing history but “we should work hard to create history.” His 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.

"The mistakes made in Kashmir, the problems that arose in the Northeast, and the NaxaliteMaoist terrorism that spread throughout the country were all serious challenges to the nation's sovereignty," he said.

Alleging that the Congress had forgotten Patel's vision, Modi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had not.

"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.