"At the time of Partition, the most fertile land for agricultural production of Punjab went to Pakistan."
India would have become a superpower quickly if Partition hadn't taken place, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday as he blamed the "selfishness of a few" for the division of the country.
"This date gives us new inspiration. It inspires us to draw some lessons from those sad moments in history," the chief minister said while addressing a meeting at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
No society can move forward by forgetting history, and that is why it should be "our resolution that personal interest, family, caste, opinion, religion, region and language can never be above the nation", Adityanath said.
"Had India remained undivided after independence in 1947, then it would not have taken long for it to become a superpower for the world today," he said.
"Selfishness of a few pushed the nation towards the tragedy of Partition," the chief minister said and added that it was not a partition of a piece of land, but of two hearts. It cost millions of lives, he said.
Pakistan didn't learn from history and today its plight is not hidden from anyone, he said and added that India with a population of 140 crore people is moving forward with the message of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', "removing the distinction of caste, creed, religion, north, south, east and west, despite facing the horrors of Partition".
"At the time of Partition, the most fertile land for agricultural production of Punjab went to Pakistan. For some time, its economy also was in good shape. However, its negative approach had its toll on the country and today, its people are fighting for a sack of five kilograms of flour," he said.
Referring to the formation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, he said, "The land of Bengal is known for art and literature. Today's Bangladesh was once the textile hub of India".
He said that those who think that they will be safe on the basis of religion, "East and West Pakistan were also of the same religion".
"The atrocities committed by West Pakistan on East Pakistan is not hidden from anyone. It is not hidden from anyone that the Pakistani army behaved cruelly with the mothers and sisters of Bangladesh," he said.
Before the meeting, the chief minister visited the memorials related to the Partition at the Indira Gandhi Foundation.
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