(MoS PMO Jitendra Singh recently said that had former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru let Sardar Patel handle Jammu and Kashmir then the history of not only J&K but of entire Indian sub-continent would have been different. This article is being republished from The Quint’s archives to highlight Patel’s stance on Kashmir. It was first published on 7 February 2018.)
Narendra Modi, on 7 February, invoked India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, while criticising the Congress in the Lok Sabha for "dividing the country".
"If Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel would have been the first prime minister of the country, then entire Kashmir would have been ours," the Prime Minister said, amid loud sloganeering in the Lower House.
While this was one of the most highlighted quotes from his speech, experts and commentators were quick to point out that Patel was not actually eager to have Kashmir acceded into India.