Art 370 temporary wall between Indians, now brought down: PM Modi

Standing alone on the podium at the site of Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity, the Prime Minister said: “Sardar Patel has once said that if Kashmir’s issue was handed over to him, then resolving the issue would not have taken so long. He had warned the country that the only solution to the issue was the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India. Today, on his birth anniversary, I dedicate the decision of the removal of Article 370, taken on August 5, to Sardar saheb.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering at the Statue of Unity on the occasion of 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at Kevadia in Narmada district of Gujarat, Thursday, Oct.31, 2019. (PTI)

The Prime Minister also expressed happiness over the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission in J&K and Ladakh with effect Thursday and emphasised that both UTs will take strong steps towards a prosperous future.

Pointing to the recent Block Development Council (BDC) elections in J&K, Modi said: “After Independence, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were not allowed to exercise their democratic rights because of Article 370. For the very first time, BDC elections were held and 98 per cent panch and sarpanch cast their vote. There will be political stability now. Forming and dissolving governments for personal gains will now be put to an end.”

Turning to the Northeast, Modi said that the situation there was changing due to the government’s initiatives. “Decade-old issues are now nearing solutions. After a long period of violence, the entire Northeast region has now gained freedom from it. And this was not through violence but by developing an emotional connect,” he said.

Gujarat, Oct 31 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, on the occasion of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, at Statue of Unity in Kevadia on Thursday. (ANI)

The Prime Minister also spoke about “forces trying to destroy the country’s unity in vain” — he did not name anyone, though. “Those who cannot defeat us in wars are trying to disrupt our unity. They are fuelling separatists and challenging our unity in diversity. But they forget that similar attempts have been made over the decades, but no one could harm us or defeat us,” he said.

Earlier, Modi marked the occasion by offering tributes to the Statue of Unity, which has completed a year since it was unveiled. He also accepted the replica of the National Police Memorial from the wife of a CRPF jawan who was among the 40 killed during the terror attack in Pulwama in February.