‘Made Country Suffer For Decades’: PM Modi Trains Guns On Congress, Nehru Over Kashmir, PoK

Last Updated:October 31, 2025, 11:26 IST

Addressing the nation on National Unity Day on the birth anniversary of former deputy PM Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, PM Modi accused Congress of furthering British agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering during the 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' programme organised on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 150th birth anniversary, at the Statue of Unity, Kevadia, in Narmada district of Gujarat. (IMAGE: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress for the Partition of India and targeted the party for issues plaguing the Kashmir region.

He also accused his predecessor Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, for not fulfilling Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s vision.

Addressing the nation on the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, the Prime Minister accused Congress of “furthering interests of the Britishers" and said the party itself was “inherited from the Britishers".

“Sardar Patel wanted the complete integration of Kashmir into India, just as he had successfully done with other princely states. However, Nehru did not allow that vision to be fulfilled. Kashmir was given a separate constitution and flag, dividing it from the rest of the nation," PM Modi said.

When India became independent in 1947, along with British-ruled provinces, there were more than 560 princely states, which were regions ruled by kings and nawabs, that were not directly under British control. These states had to decide whether to join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, played the most crucial role in uniting these princely states with the Indian Union. Working closely with VP Menon, his secretary in the Ministry of States, Patel used a mix of persuasion, diplomacy and firmness to convince rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession, agreeing to join India.

Most rulers agreed peacefully, but a few states like Hyderabad, Junagadh, and Kashmir posed challenges. Junagadh, a Hindu-majority state with a Muslim ruler, initially chose to join Pakistan, but Patel sent troops and integrated it into India. Hyderabad’s Nizam also wanted independence, but after negotiations failed, the Indian Army carried out “Operation Polo" in 1948, bringing the state into the Indian Union.

“The mistake Congress made regarding Kashmir caused the country to suffer for decades. A part of Kashmir fell under Pakistan’s illegal occupation because of Congress’s weak and compromising approach," PM Modi, further added, referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He also accused Congress for Partition of India and alleged that its move to censor a part of the Vande Mataram laid the foundation for the division of the country.

“Congress not only inherited its party and power from the British but also internalized the slave mentality. The chant of Vande Mataram continued to resonate in every corner of India. But what the British failed to do, Congress accomplished. Congress removed a portion of Vande Mataram on religious grounds. This means that Congress both divided society and furthered the British agenda… The day Congress decided to break, cut, and divide Vande Mataram, it laid the foundation for India’s partition," he said.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...

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