On the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing past governments of betraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s vision for a united India and adopting a “spineless approach” on issues of national sovereignty.

Speaking at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, during celebrations marking Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, the Prime Minister recalled the Iron Man’s role in integrating princely states and lamented that successive governments after his death lacked the same determination in safeguarding the country’s integrity.

“Unfortunately, in the years following Sardar Sahib's death, the governments of the time lacked the same seriousness regarding the nation's sovereignty,” Modi said, addressing a large gathering. He added, “On the one hand, the mistakes made on Kashmir, on the other, the problems arising in the Northeast, and the spread of Naxalism and Maoist terrorism across the country were direct challenges to the nation's sovereignty. But instead of following Sardar Sahib's policies, the governments of that era chose a spineless approach. The country suffered the consequences in the form of violence and bloodshed.”

Sharpening his attack on India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi alleged that it was Nehru’s decisions that obstructed Sardar Patel’s plan for a unified Kashmir. “Sardar Sahib wanted the entire Kashmir to be united, just as he had united other princely states. But Nehru ji prevented his wish from being fulfilled. Kashmir was divided with a separate constitution and a separate flag. The country burned in the fire of the Congress's mistake on Kashmir for decades,” he said.

Modi further blamed the Congress for the loss of territory to Pakistan and the rise of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the party’s weak policies led to “illegal occupation” and decades of unrest. “Due to Congress's weak policies, a part of Kashmir fell under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Pakistan fostered terrorism. Kashmir and the country had to pay such a heavy price, yet Congress always bowed before terrorism. Congress forgot Sardar Saheb's vision, but we did not,” Modi declared.