New Delhi [India], May 27 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the May 22 attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam as well as other terror incidents could have been avoided if India had heeded Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's advice in 1947.

Addressing an event in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, the Prime Minister said that Patel had advised not to stop the armed forces before they reached Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

'In 1947, Mother India was torn into pieces. Katni chahiye thi zanjeerein par kaat di gayi bhujayein (The chains should have been cut, but the arms were chopped off.) The country was divided into three parts, and on the same night, the first terrorist attack took place on the soil of Kashmir,' PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that during Partition, Pakistan had captured a part of India using terrorists, whom he called Mujahideen. 'If on that day, these Mujahideen had been eliminated and Sardar Patel's wish was that until we get PoK, our armed forces should not stop. But no one listened to him and we have been facing this (terrorism) for the last 75 years. Pahalgam was also an example of it. When we had wars with Pakistan, we defeated Pakistan thrice...'

'...Shareer kitna hi swasth kyu naa ho lekin agar ek kaanta chubhta hai toh poora shareer pareshan rehta hai. Ab humne tay kar liya hai uss kaante ko nikaal ke rahenge...('No matter how strong or healthy the body is, even a single thorn can cause constant pain and we've decided that the thorn must be removed)' said Prime Minister Modi.

PM Modi also pointed out Pakistan's inability to defeat India in direct war and its shift to proxy warfare. 'When the need for war with Pakistan arose, India's military power defeated Pakistan all three times. Pakistan understood that it could not defeat India in a war. It started a proxy war against India. They kept attacking wherever they got a chance, and we kept tolerating it,' he added.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, the first time he has visited his home state following Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

Earlier today Prime Minister held a roadshow before laying the foundation stone for several development projects in Gandhinagar. (ANI)