Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Sardar Patel wanted to unite the entire Kashmir, just as he did with other princely states, into India, but then PM Nehru did not allow it to happen.
“Sardar Patel believed that one should not waste time writing history but we should work hard to create history,” Modi said, addressing the gathering after the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Ekta Nagar.
“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’ mistake,” Modi said.
The policies that Sardar Patel formulated and the decisions he took created new history, the PM said.
“After Independence, the impossible task of uniting more than 550 princely states was made possible by Sardar Patel. The idea of One India, Excellent India, was paramount for him,” Modi said.
“Sardar Patel once remarked that his greatest joy came from serving the nation. I want to convey to the people of our country that there is no greater source of happiness than dedicating oneself to the service of the nation,” he said.
Before his speech, Modi reviewed the National Unity Day parade in which contingents from police and paramilitary forces took part.
Women officers commanded all the contingents, including paramilitary forces like BSF, CISF, ITBP, CRPF, and SSB, and police contingents from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
A contingent of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) also participated in the parade.