"Stop Misquoting": Congress' Pawan Khera Debunks PM Modi's 'Patel Wanted PoK' Remark

In a sharp rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in Gujarat targeting first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru-led Congress government, claiming they did not pay heed to then-Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who wanted to take Pakistan-0ccupied Kashmir (PoK), Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday shared a letter in which Patel expresses concern over India’s military position back then.

“It is my pleasure to educate our Prime Minister that on 4th June 1948, Sardar Patel wrote a letter to N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar from Dehradun,” the Congress leader wrote on X, while quoting a portion of the letter.  

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In the letter to N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, the Indian civil servant who held several prominent positions, including Prime Minister of princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and later as minister in the country’s first cabinet, Patel says that the military position is “none too good”, and he is afraid the country’s military resources are “strained to the uttermost”. “How long we are to carry on this unfortunate affair, it is difficult to foresee,” Patel wrote in the letter.

The All Indian Congress Committee Media and Publicity Chair pointed out that for all who care about facts, Patel’s words elucidate his weighted caution regarding PoK considering military realities of the time. Stating that Modi has never shown a care for truth, the Congress leader demanded the Prime Minister to stop “misquoting, misappropriating or co-opting diplomats from the Congress like Sardar Patel for his own petty politics of hate and divisiveness.”

“Besides, it is rather embarrassing for the PM of India to be fact-checked on X,” Pawan Khera wrote on his social media platform.

Speaking at a rally in Gujarat, the PM said, “Sardar Patel wanted PoK back but he was stopped.”

It is my pleasure to educate our Prime Minister that on 4th June 1948, Sardar Patel wrote a letter to N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar from Dehradun :
“The military position is none too… pic.twitter.com/Nb8v4xEhI7

— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) May 29, 2025

Speaking at a rally in Gujarat, PM Modi on Wednesday alleged that the Jawaharlal Nehru-led Congress government did not listen to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who had wanted the army offensive to continue until Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was fully reclaimed. The Prime Minister also said had the decision been taken, it might have helped to end the terrorism that still affects India.

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“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. And the bloodshed by these mujahideen has been continuing for the last 75 years. What happened in Pahalgam was just a distorted form of the same,” Prime Minister Modi said, India Today quoted.

Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, India launched Operation Sindoor, hitting terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, pushing the nuclear-armed neighbours towards further escalation.