While addressing a rally in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemingly took a jibe at India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, insinuating that he was not able to solve the age-old dispute in Jammu and Kashmir, with neighbouring country Pakistan.
In a veiled jibe at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, PM Modi said on Monday that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel resolved issues of the merger of other princely states, but “one person” could not resolve the Kashmir issue, referring to the disturbances in the area.
Addressing a rally in Gujarat’s Anand district ahead of the state Assembly elections due this year-end, PM Modi said he was able to resolve the long-pending Kashmir issue as he is walking in the footsteps of India’s first home minister Sardar Patel.
Further, PM Modi said that ‘Urban Naxals’ made attempts to put a halt to the dream of Sardar Patel, which was the project of the Sardar Sarovar dam. ‘Urban Naxal’ term is often used by some segments of the political spectrum to describe sympathizers of the Maoist cause as well as certain social activists.
Without naming Jawaharlal Nehru in his address, the prime minister said in Gujarat, “Sardar saheb persuaded all the princely states to merge with India. But another person handled this one issue of Kashmir.”
PM Modi further added, “As I am following in the footsteps of Sardar saheb, I have values of the land of Sardar and that was the reason I resolved the problem of Kashmir and paid true tributes to Sardar Patel.”
Further targeting the previous Congress governments in Gujarat, PM Modi said while they constructed dams, no canal network was created to carry water. “Did they make dams for darshan (show)?” the PM asked, adding that he took up the work and completed it in 20 years.
This comes just a few weeks ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections 2022, which will most likely be conducted in December this year.
(With PTI inputs)
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