Union Minister of Oil and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said that by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A relating to Jammu and Kashmir, India has corrected a historic blunder under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It is due to the willpower of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that the integration of Jammu and Kashmir in India was made possible, said Pradhan while participating in ‘Run for Unity’ event here marking the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Terming Sardar Patel as a towering personality, he said the former made invaluable contributions to build a modern and unified India.
“India would have achieved greater heights if Sardar Patel had been the first Prime Minister,” Pradhan observed.
Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi and BJP national general secretary and Odisha in-charge Arun Singh participated in the “Run For Unity” in Baleswar.
Besides other leaders, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also paid tributes to ‘Iron Man’ Sardar Patel on his 144th birth anniversary. Patnaik tweeted, “His (Patel’s) immense contribution to integrate India into a powerful nation will always be remembered.”
International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik paid tributes to Sardar Patel by creating a sculpture at the Puri beach.