Ahmedabad, Oct 1: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had warned first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru against China in November 1950.

Modi said this while inaugurated a community hall at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad city, where President Pratibha Patil was also present.

Addressing the assembly, Modi said: “In November 1950, Sardar Patel had written a letter to Nehru. In the letter he had written that India should reconsider and change its defence policy in reference to China. He said we should not come under the influence of China as it can pose a great danger to us.”

“In November 1950, while lying on the deathbed he had warned Nehru in his letter. And history has witnessed that how right he was in estimating the danger. Today also China is responsible for the rise of several problems,” Modi added.

Modi further added that if Sardar Patel had been the Prime Minister then Jammu and Kashmir would have been much peaceful.

“Sometimes a thought occurs to my mind, when bodies of our Indian soldiers after being shot by militants reach their native villages in Kashmir, when we see their widows whose dreams are shattered, though we salute their martyrdom, but we believe that this thought must have come to their mind that if Sardar Patel would have been the Prime Minister then militancy in Kashmir and death of young soldiers by militants would not have taken place,” said Modi.

As per experts, Modi in a way had initiated debate that there were serious differences between Patel and Nehru.

BJP and Congress party have been blaming each other on several issues, but the debate has further risen following the book "Jinnah: India-Partition Independence", written by BJP leader Jaswant Singh.

Modi had also banned the book and several copies were burnt in Gujarat alleging that it defamed Sardar Patel, who is worshipped by the BJP for being the man responsible for the unification of India. (ANI)