Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday blamed India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the extremism and separatism “emanating from Kashmir”, alleging that decisions taken during the early years of Independence made the issue so controversial that it continues to trouble the nation even today.
Addressing a programme held on the 75th death anniversary of India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Adityanath highlighted Patel’s role in integrating more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union and contrasted it with the handling of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
Referring to the integration of Junagadh and Hyderabad, Adityanath said both princely states had initially refused to accede to India. “All Hindu princely states agreed to become part of the Republic of India, but the Nawab of Junagadh and the Nizam of Hyderabad refused. These states were integrated through a bloodless revolution, solely due to the wisdom and leadership of Sardar Patel,” he said.
The Chief Minister claimed that uncertainty surrounded the fate of Jammu and Kashmir after Independence. “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru took the matter into his own hands and made Jammu and Kashmir so controversial that it continues to sting India even today. The country inherited extremism and separatism from Kashmir because of Pandit Nehru,” he alleged.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adityanath said the abrogation of Article 370 fulfilled the vision of Sardar Patel and Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. “By abolishing Article 370, Kashmir has been fully integrated with India, advancing the resolve of one nation, one constitution and one flag,” he said.
Tribute to Sardar Patel
Born in Nadiad, Gujarat, in 1875, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a central figure in India’s freedom struggle. As independent India’s first Home Minister, he played a decisive role in integrating over 560 princely states into the Indian Union. Patel passed away in 1950, leaving behind a legacy of national unity and administrative firmness.
