Sajid Raina
Jammu, Dec 1: Issuing a stern warning to elements attempting to revive terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the era of stone pelting, Pakistan-sponsored strikes, and unchecked terrorism has ended, and any fresh attempts to destabilize peace will be “crushed with full force.”
The Lieutenant Governor Sinha joined the “Sardar@150 Unity March (Padyatra)” at Vadodara, Gujarat. The National Padyatra, which began at Sardar Patel’s family home in Karamsad, will cover nearly 190 km in 11 days, and will conclude at the Statue of Unity on 6th December.
Addressing the event on the theme “Kashmir, Hyderabad and Sardar”, the Lieutenant Governor said, “Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed tremendous development over the past few years, with visible improvements in law and order. Today, no stone pelting takes place in J&K. No strike is called at the behest of Pakistan. Terrorist commanders of all terror outfits have been eliminated. Those trying to raise their heads again will be crushed.”
Sinha also drew historical parallels while invoking the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whose birth anniversary is being observed across India.
He recalled an anecdote involving Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel during their time in Yerawada Jail. “Gandhiji once asked Sardar Patel what post he would like to hold after Independence. Patel replied he would become a sadhu. Yet it was he who ensured the merger of 562 princely states, reshaping Bharat’s map,” LG Sinha said.
He emphasized that only Sardar Patel possessed the “guts and willpower” to unite a newly independent country. “Had Patel not been there, India’s map would not have been the same. Whether it was Hyderabad or Jammu and Kashmir, Patel wrote a new history,” the LG said, adding that Patel played a crucial role in ensuring J&K acceded to India despite not being directly assigned the state’s responsibility.
Sinha noted that Patel was never in favour of taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations, a move that, he said, was steered by Jawaharlal Nehru and Gopalaswami Ayyangar.
“Had the J&K issue been handled by Sardar Patel, India’s map would have been different today,” he added.
“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel would have ensured complete and irreversible integration of Jammu Kashmir if he had handled its affairs directly. History of J&K would have been different if Sardar Patel had been given full responsibility for its integration in 1947,” LG said.
The Lieutenant Governor said despite not directly handling Jammu Kashmir, Sardar Patel ensured that it remained an integral part of India. From the very beginning, Sardar Patel had said that we will not give even an inch of Jammu Kashmir to Pakistan.
“Sardar Patel had opposed the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy towards Jammu Kashmir. He was also against taking the issue to the United Nations. In one of his public rallies Sardar Patel had categorically said about complete integration of Jammu Kashmir and his decisive action would have altered the course of history,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the vision of Sardar Patel and Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee through the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. “PM Modi has paid rich tributes to Sardar Patel by fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country,” he said.
Reiterating that “unity holds the key,” LG Sinha urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to continue supporting the ongoing peace and development trajectory, warning that no force will be allowed to push the region back into turmoil.
The Lieutenant Governor said that Sardar Patel’s vision of unity, ideals and values of equality and social justice continue to shape the growth of our nation.
“As an architect of modern India, Sardar Patel symbolises India’s self-confidence, self-respect and its bravery. His embodying values of integrity, decisiveness, selfless service continue to inspire us to build a strong, self-reliant and developed India,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted that PM Modi’s initiatives- ‘One Nation, One Tax’, ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’, ‘One Nation, One Health Card’, ‘One Nation, One Grid’, ‘National Education Policy’, ‘PM Gati Shakti’, ‘Kashi-Tamil Sangamam’ and various other programmes have strengthened the unity of the country.
The Lieutenant Governor called upon youth to strengthen the pillars of Unity.
“There are three important pillars of unity – shared values, shared identity and a common purpose act as a unifying force for sustained progress and development,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
