Ekta Nagar, India, November 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, of preventing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from fully integrating Kashmir into India, as the country marked National Unity Day celebrating Patel’s birth anniversary.
Speaking at a ceremony near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Narmada district, Modi said Patel’s vision of uniting all princely states after Independence was hindered in the case of Kashmir.
“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 flag, and the nation suffered for decades because of Congress’ mistake,” Modi told a large gathering after reviewing the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade.
The 182-metre-tall statue of Patel, inaugurated in 2018, is the tallest in the world. Modi laid floral tributes at the site before addressing the event.
“Sardar Patel believed one should not waste time writing history but work hard to create it,” Modi said. “After Independence, the impossible task of uniting more than 550 princely states was made possible by him. The idea of ‘One India, Excellent India’ was paramount for him.”
The parade featured contingents from the police and paramilitary forces — including the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) — all commanded by women officers.
Police units from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also took part, along with the National Cadet Corps.
A ‘Republic Day-style’ parade showcased floats from the National Security Guard, National Disaster Response Force and several states and union territories, highlighting the theme of “Unity in Diversity.” A cultural performance by 900 artists displayed classical dance forms from across India.
Among the attractions were the BSF’s marching contingent with Indian-bred Rampur hounds, a horse-mounted contingent of Gujarat Police, Assam Police’s motorcycle daredevil show, and the BSF’s camel contingent and camel-mounted band.
The parade also honoured five Shaurya Chakra awardees of the CRPF and 16 BSF personnel who received gallantry medals for operations against Naxal insurgents and militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
An Indian Air Force fly-past, dubbed “Operation Surya Kiran,” concluded the celebrations.
The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel has been observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) since 2014, when Modi first became prime minister.
