Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently invoked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s stance on PoK, revealing how it differed from Jawaharlal Nehru’s approach.
Photo : PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a recent rally, reignited the long-standing Kashmir debate by invoking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s position on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). PM Modi said the Nehru-led Congress government had ignored Patel’s call to continue the military offensive in 1947 until PoK was fully reclaimed.
“It was Sardar Patel’s wish that until PoK was taken back, the army should not stop. But Sardar Sahib’s words were not followed,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi’s remarks have drawn attention to Patel’s evolving stand on Kashmir and his divergence from Nehru’s approach.
Initially lukewarm on Kashmir, Patel’s stance changed after Pakistan accepted Junagadh’s accession in September 1947. “If Jinnah could take hold of a Hindu-majority State with a Muslim ruler, why should the Sardar not be interested in a Muslim-majority State with a Hindu ruler?” wrote Rajmohan Gandhi in ‘Patel: A Life’.
From that point on, Kashmir became a key priority for Patel alongside Junagadh and Hyderabad, which he likened to chess pieces — the Queen, the pawn, and the King.
The first major flashpoint between Nehru and Patel emerged during an October 26 meeting, when Mehr Chand Mahajan, Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, sought urgent troop deployment to halt Pakistan. Nehru reportedly told him to “go away”, but Patel stepped in, saying firmly, “Of course, Mahajan, you are not going to Pakistan”.
When Nehru, influenced by Lord Mountbatten, decided to take the issue to the United Nations, Patel opposed it but did not push back hard. “Kashmir was Jawaharlal’s baby by now and Vallabhbhai did not insist,” Gandhi noted.
Patel’s opposition was stark when Mountbatten proposed a peace visit to Lahore. “For the Prime Minister to go crawling to Jinnah when we are on the stronger side and in the right would never be forgiven by the people of India,” he warned. Nehru ultimately skipped the visit.
While Nehru sought an international resolution, Patel was in favour of pressing India’s military advantage. But he was often sidelined, especially on decisions like offering Kashmir special status or removing the Maharaja.