Gandhinagar/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday referred to the abrogation of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir's new Chief Minister taking oath on the Constitution of India in flagging the unity in the country on the birth anniversary of independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Modi attended the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) in Gujarat.

The Prime Minister said, "Today the whole country is happy that after seven decades of independence, the resolution of one country and one constitution has been fulfilled. This is my biggest tribute to Sardar Saheb.

"For 70 years, Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Constitution was not implemented in the entire country. Those who chant the name of the Constitution had insulted it so much. The reason was the wall of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir."

"Article 370 has been buried forever. For the first time, voting was done without discrimination in this assembly election. For the first time, the Chief Minister of that place has taken oath on the Constitution of India.

"This scene must have given immense satisfaction to the makers of the Indian Constitution, their souls must have found peace and this is our humble tribute to the makers of the Constitution," he added.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took oath earlier in October after his National Conference in alliance with the Congress won the elections in the union territory, which went to polls for the first time since abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

The Prime Minister in his speech also referred to militancy and North-East India.

"Terrorists' 'masters' now know that harming India won't yield results, as India won't spare them! The Northeast faced numerous challenges, but we have quenched the flames of separatism through dialogue, trust, and development.

"The Bodo and Bru-Reang agreements have established peace and stability. The National Liberation Front of Tripura's accord has ended long-standing unrest. India is moving forward with peace, development, and prosperity," he said.

Patel's statue, which is referred to as the Statue of Unity, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2018.

The statue is located near Kevadia in Gujarat.