Jitendra Singh blames Nehru for unilateral ceasefire leading to PoK.
Patel’s role in integrating 560+ princely states highlighted during Unity March.
Campaign promotes youth awareness on national unity, cleanliness, and indigenous products.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has blamed former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for declaring a unilateral ceasefire during the 1947 conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the decision led to the creation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to PTI, Singh argued that the situation would have been different had then home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been allowed to handle Jammu and Kashmir in the same manner as other princely states.
Speaking on Thursday after flagging off the inaugural Unity March (padyatra) to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, Singh said that had Nehru given Patel “a free hand,” the issue of PoJK would never have arisen. He said Patel’s “timely intervention” enabled Indian forces to reach Srinagar and repel the tribal invasion, but the subsequent ceasefire halted the operation when the forces were close to reclaiming the occupied territories.
“Had the then prime minister, Nehru, given his home minister, Sardar Patel, a free hand to deal with Jammu and Kashmir like other princely states, the issue of PoJK would never have arisen and the history of J&K, and India would have been different,” Singh said, as reported by PTI.
The minister praised Patel for integrating more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union and described him, along with Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, as among the most underrated leaders of Independent India. Singh said both leaders embodied the spirit of placing the “nation first” and were closely linked to post-Independence developments in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the Unity March seeks to motivate young people through the ideals of “Ek Bharat, Akhand Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.” The campaign, Singh added, aims to raise awareness about drug eradication, cleanliness, and the use of indigenous products, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a self-reliant and united India.
According to PTI, Singh referred to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, and said that Modi, drawing inspiration from Sardar Patel, encouraged citizens to contribute iron for its construction, making it a collective symbol of national unity and a tribute to the “Iron Man of India.”
(With inputs from PTI)
