Gandhinagar (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, dedicated his Government’s decision on Article 370 to the ‘Iron Man’ of India and first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Addressing public on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at Kevadiya in Gujarat, Modi said, “With the blessings of Sardar Patel, the country has taken a major decision a few weeks ago to defeat such separatist forces, that is to abrogate (the special status) the Article 370”.
The Prime Minister said that the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution only “gave separatism and terrorism to Jammu & Kashmir”.
He said for decades the presence of this article only erected an “Artificial wall of schism between the people of the country. It contributed to nothing, but separatist attitude and terrorism and that our brothers and sisters who were on the other side of this artificial wall were confused”.
With the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister said “this wall had now been demolished”.
With this decision, the Prime Minister said that an era of political stability would begin in Jammu & Kashmir. The game of forming governments for individual selfish reasons would end and that the feeling of discrimination on regional lines would also diminish.
Notably, on October 31, the state of Jammu and Kashmir formally ceased to exist and two new Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh came up in its place.
Modi also said that in the last three decades terrorism in the state had claimed “more than 40,000 lives”.
Prime Minister said, “Those who cannot win wars against us, they are challenging our unity But they forget, despite yearning for ages, none has been able to vanquish the spirit of unity within us”.
Expressing happiness, the PM said that his Government’s decision would lead Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh towards a bright future and on the path of progress.
Modi also hailed the recently held Block Development Council elections in Jammu & Kashmir where the voter turn around was more than 98 per cent.
He said now the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh would see an era of true participation in the cooperative federalism.
