LUCKNOW, Dec. 16 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday blamed Jawaharlal Nehru for the extremism and separatism "emanating from Kashmir", and said the first prime minister of India made the Kashmir issue so "controversial" that it continues to sting the country even now. "Confusion prevailed over the accession of Jammu and Kashmir, and the responsibility was taken up by Jawaharlal Nehru. However, the manner in which the issue was handled turned it into a persistent challenge for India since independence," Adityanath said at an event held to mark the 75th death anniversary of the country's first home minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The chief minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the vision of Sardar Patel and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee by abrogating Article 370, thereby fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir into India. Referring to the integration of over 560 princely states into the Union of India, he pointed to Junagadh and Hyderabad. "All the Hindu princely states of India agreed to become a part of the Republic of India, but the Nawab of Junagadh and the Nizam of Hyderabad refused. Both had to be integrated into India. Through a bloodless revolution, solely due to Sardar Patel's wisdom, these two princely states became a part of India," Adityanath said. "There were 567 princely states at the time of Independence, and they were integrated into the Republic of India. The country will always remember Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as its architect. This is his creation," the chief minister said. "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875, into a humble farmer's family in Karamsad, Gujarat. Through sheer determination and hard work, he pursued higher education. His goal was not to serve foreign rulers for personal gain, but to understand the nation and the world and dedicate his abilities to the service of Mother India. He played a leading role in India's freedom struggle, enduring imprisonment and severe hardships multiple times without wavering from his commitment," the chief minister added. He also highlighted the fact that as home minister, Sardar Patel played a pivotal role in reconstruction of the Somnath Temple, in establishing effective mechanisms for dispute resolution, and in shaping the Indian Administrative Service in its present form. The event was also attended by deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak and Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh. Earlier, in a post on X, Adityanath paid tributes to Patel, saying, "On the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of India's unity and integrity from north to south and east to west, and the 'Iron Man' and 'Bharat Ratna, ' we pay him our humble tributes! "His tireless contributions to the country's internal security, self-reliance, and the empowerment of farmers, and his vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat, Surakshit Bharat' (One India, Great India, Secure India), are an inspiration to us all," he said....