J&K’s history 'would have been different' if Sardar Patel led 1947 integration: LG Manoj Sinha

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday joined the ‘Sardar@150 Unity March (Padyatra)’ in Vadodara, Gujarat, where he said that the history of Jammu and Kashmir “would have been different” had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been given full charge of the state’s integration in 1947.

Speaking at an event themed ‘Kashmir, Hyderabad and Sardar’, Sinha invoked Patel’s firm stance on J&K and his opposition to Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy and referral of the issue to the United Nations, citing the Iron Man’s “decisive” approach to territorial integration.

The LG, speaking at the ‘Sardar@150 Unity March (Padyatra)’ in Vadodara, recalled Patel’s uncompromising stance on the state’s accession. He noted that “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.