INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (19) said the south-western state of Goa would have been liberated from the rule of the Portuguese much earlier had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first home minister and known as ‘iron man’, been alive for some more time.
He was speaking at an event in Panaji, the capital of the state, on Sunday (19) to celebrate Goa Liberation Day, observed on December 19 every year to mark the occasion when the Indian armed forces freed the coastal state from the Europeans in 1961, 11 years after Patel passed away.
Patel is known for his contributions in integrating India. In Maharashtra which neighbours Goa, he is credited with the liberation of the Marathwada region from the rule of the erstwhile Nizams.
On his recent visit to Rome, PM Modi said, “Some time ago, I went to Italy and the Vatican City. There I also had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis. I invited him to visit India, to which Pope Francis said ‘This is the greatest gift you have given me’. This is his love for India's diversity, our radiant democracy.”
The prime minister lauded freedom fighters, including those from outside Goa, who fought for the state’s freedom.
When India got Independence, they still continued the fight to liberate Goa, he added.
“They ensured that the struggle to liberate Goa did not end after India's independence,” Modi said.
He also congratulated the government of Goa for topping in various parameters of good governance. Goa has been ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party since 2012 and is set to go to polls in 2022.
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