Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on October 31, said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s dream of a united India had been realised.
This comes on the day the state of Jammu and Kashmir is officially being bifurcated into Union Territories (UTs) of J&K and Ladakh.
Dedicating abrogation of Article 370 to Sardar Patel, the prime minister said that the special provisions had not given J&K anything other than terrorism.
“Sardar Patel had said that had the Kashmir issue been put on his shoulders, it would not have taken so long. Today, on his birth anniversary, I dedicate the historic decision taken on August 5, today to Sardar Patel," PM Modi said.
He added that, from today, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh “will walk towards a new future, on the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India.”
PM Modi said that in the last three decades more than 40,000 people had lost their lives due to terrorism in J&K. “How long could the country witness the death of so many incident people? The wall has been broken down, and Sardar Patel's dream has come true,” PM Modi said.
"We must stay united to fight against anti-Indian forces," PM Modi said, adding that it would be a true tribute to Sardar Patel.
PM Modi also called ‘unity in diversity’ as India’s pride and identity, and urged citizens to celebrate it.
“India's specialty is its Unity in Diversity. We are very diverse as a country. Unity in Diversity is our image, our pride. We celebrate our diversity. We have never felt divisiveness in diversity, but unity in it,” PM Modi said.
The prime minister said that diversity should be celebrated and participated in “whole-heartedly”. “This is the idea of One India, Great India. This is nation building,” he said, adding that diversity is the “one strength you will not find in any other country".
“When we treat our diverse cuisine and dresses as our rich heritage, it adds to our feeling of national affinity. When we celebrate the festivals from different regions, it adds to their happiness, and fills more colour to the delight,” PM Modi added.
PM Modi was addressing a function near the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat to mark the birth anniversary of India’s first union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Before addressing the gathering, PM Modi paid floral tribute to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity.
October 31, Patel's birth anniversary, is celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) since 2014.
As the prime minister offered floral tributes, flower petals were showered on the world's tallest statue by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter.
The 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Patel was inaugurated by PM Modi on October 31, 2018.
The prime minister also administered the ‘national unity pledge’ to the gathering on this occasion.
PM Modi watched the ‘Ekta parade’ in which personnel of the Gujarat Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) participated.
Mock drill demonstrations were conducted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and National Security Guard (NSG).
CISF personnel demonstrated how to deal with terrorists at airports, while NDRF demonstrated rescue operations during earthquakes and gas leakage. The NSG presented a demonstration of how to foil a terrorist attack.
(With inputs from PTI)
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