Panaji, Oct 31 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday that the ‘Tukde Tukde’ gang with the ideology of keeping some states separate has been eradicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he expressed confidence that people will not fall prey to such forces.

Speaking during a ‘National Unity Day’ programme to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in North Goa, Sawant said, “Some forces are trying to divide our country for various reasons. But we will not fall prey to it. We will maintain our unity.”

On the occasion, the BJP leader praised Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for uniting the country.

“After our country got freedom, Sardar Patel played a major role to unite all the states. Because of him our country could unite,” he said.

“There were attempts to keep Jammu and Kashmir separate bythe then regime. I am not making allegations, as all will feel that I am speaking politics on this day. But students might not be knowing that till 2018, there were two flags in Jammu Kashmir, one of India and the other of their own. There were also two Constitutions, one drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar and another of their own. They used to call their Chief Minister the Prime Minister,” Sawant claimed.

“Around two lakh youths were arrested by the then Jammu & Kashmir government in 2013 for trying to hoist ‘Tiranga’ at Lal Chowk. I have witnessed it along with Anurag Singh Thakur,” he said.

“In 2019, Article 370 was scrapped and now we can proudly hoist our Tiranga in Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.

Without naming anyone, Sawant said that the ‘Tukde Tukde’ gang worked across the country to divide people.

"Some wanted Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and the Northeast to remain separate… such gangs were actively working under the name of Maoism, terrorism… But their efforts have been eradicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Sawant said.