Mumbai, May 2: Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan said that although Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed after the linguistic division, both have one soul.

He further stated that Maharashtra and Gujarat have uniquely contributed to the country’s freedom struggle and instilled a sense of patriotism among the people.

Under the Central government’s ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative, the statehood days of Maharashtra and Gujarat were celebrated on Thursday at Raj Bhavan in the presence of the Governor and Chancellor of State Universities Radhakrishnan.

“The states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have given India many great national figures, and today their identity is not limited to their native state. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the son of Maharashtra, is a role model for the entire country, while the philosophy of non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi, the son of Gujarat, has become a guide for the entire world today,” said the Governor.

He added that today, Gujarat and Maharashtra are making a valuable contribution to the country’s economy.

Giving historical evidence of the relations between Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the Governor said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had conquered the forts of Jinji and Vellore in Tamil Nadu and also worked to protect religion by establishing the Shiva temple in Tiruvannamalai. The Bhosale Raja of Thanjavur preserved rare Tamil literature in his ‘Saraswati Mahal’ library.

Stating that India has become a great nation today due to this cultural unity, the Governor expressed his belief that if the country maintains its unity in the future, it will become the number one nation in the world.

“Many world leaders question how India is a unified nation despite people of different religions and sects, speaking different languages, living in this country. But despite having different languages, different clothes and different food cultures, this country still has the foundation of religion and culture,” said the Governor.

The Governor expressed his belief that if this foundation of unity is preserved, India will become a developed nation.

On the occasion, the Governor appreciated the students of Savitribai Phule Pune University for presenting an excellent programme of folk dances and songs of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

In the cultural programme, the students performed the state folk dances Koli, Waghya Murli, Dindi, and Tippani.

The students also performed the state song ‘Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat’. In the State Foundation Day programme, documentaries depicting the history, heritage, folk art and culture of both the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were shown, said the release issued by Raj Bhavan.

New Delhi, May 2: Many houses and vehicles were damaged due to falling of trees due to heavy rain and strong winds in Sheikh Sarai area of ​​​​the national capital Delhi on Friday. This accident happened around 5 am. Local people told that they have written letters to the administration several times demanding that the trees be removed, but no action has been taken in this direction so far.

Local resident Rakesh Sharma told Media, that this accident happened in the morning when there was a strong storm. Due to this many vehicles and houses were damaged. However, till now we do not know the exact number of vehicles that have been damaged. There are many such huge trees around here, about which I have written letters to the concerned officials several times, but no action has been taken so far.

He further told that earlier Manoj Vairy ji of the Horticulture Department had come here. He had inspected the entire area. But, no action has been taken so far.

Another local resident Praveen Vats said that this accident happened due to a storm at 5 am. Many houses were damaged and many vehicles were damaged due to the fall of these huge trees. Due to this many people could not go to school and office.

He said that we have already written a letter to the officials in this regard, but no action has been taken in this direction so far. Not only this, we had written a letter to the officials and drawn their attention to the fact that there are about 35 to 40 such trees around us, which are very huge. Certainly, if they are not cut short in time, then it can cause a major accident in the future.

He said that we respect the environment. We want trees and plants around us, but we have to take care that such huge trees do not become the cause of any major accident. We have written a letter to the officials and asked them to cut these trees short, so that we do not have to face any accident in the future.

New Delhi, May 2: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President, Farooq Abdullah on Friday strongly condemned the recent terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam and called for strict action against the perpetrators of the massacre of 26 innocent civilians. He also asserted that India was safe in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In an interview with Media, Abdullah spoke about Pakistan’s role in terrorism and demanded strict action against those involved in the recent Pahalgam attack. He also discussed issues ranging from the Indus Water Treaty to the caste census.

Here is the full interview:

Media: What is your opinion on the Pahalgam terror attack?

Farooq Abdullah: The Pahalgam incident was very painful. It should not have happened. This is a murder of humanity. Those who did this must be condemned as much as possible. They should be caught and punished in such a way that it becomes an example for others.

Media: Do you think Pakistan has a hand in the Pahalgam incident?

Farooq Abdullah: Anyone could be involved in the Pahalgam incident. Until we catch them, we cannot say who it is. The handlers must be the same ones who did it before. It’s not just about today. They did it in Uri too. You must have seen what happened in Pulwama. Who did it in Mumbai? Who did it in Pathankot? Who did it in Rajouri and Poonch? The handlers are sitting there.

Media: Was the Pahalgam incident a conspiracy by Pakistan?

Farooq Abdullah: They (Pakistan) feel that we (Indians) are living in peace and thousands of tourists are roaming here in Kashmir. They didn’t like it. They don’t want us to live in peace. Since 1947, they have tried to destroy as much as they can and will continue to try.

Media: Can India take back Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir?

Farooq Abdullah: This is a decision for the country’s Prime Minister to take. Farooq Abdullah cannot give him any advice. This must be the Prime Minister’s call.

Media: Is the country safe in the hands of the Prime Minister?

Farooq Abdullah: If the country wasn’t safe in the hands of the PM, he wouldn’t be the PM. Today, the PM has to take care of everyone, every citizen of the country, he must do that.

Media: Pakistanis are being expelled from India, how do you see this?

Farooq Abdullah: Those people have been living here for 50 years. Women who were married here, have children, and now they’ve been sent to Pakistan. Now they are neither here nor there. What kind of justice is this? Their children are here. They are citizens here. The Prime Minister will have to make a decision on what to do.

Media: Did the Pahalgam incident happen because of the Waqf Act?

Farooq Abdullah: The Waqf Act is different, the Pahalgam incident is different. We cannot link both. The Waqf matter is in the Supreme Court. We hope the Supreme Court will look at this matter properly.

Media: Could local Kashmiris have had a role in the Pahalgam incident?

Farooq Abdullah: I don’t think this kind of thing can happen without some kind of help. Unless someone supports them, how did they come? From where did they come? I said earlier, too, when Masood Azhar was released, I said don’t release him. He has already made his paths. Who knows if he is involved in this too? But no one listened to me. They took him to Pakistan. Children were killed here. They shot my cousin at his home. We caught him with great difficulty, but they took him in a plane to Kandahar. No one listened to us in that.

Media: Is it right to stop Pakistan’s water?

Farooq Abdullah: We’ve been saying for years that this treaty should be renegotiated. We are generating power from that water, but their people come and monitor. The water is ours. We have a right to it. We already have a water shortage in Jammu. In my time, a Rs 200 crore plan was made to bring water from Chenab to Delhi but the World Bank did not approve. Today I believe it is the right time to work on this water issue so Jammu can get water. It’s our own water and we’re not even using it. This treaty must be renegotiated.

Media: Whose fault could the Pahalgam incident be?

Farooq Abdullah: We are nearing the point of war. At this point, if we point out whose mistake it is, it won’t be right. This is not the time to point fingers. This won’t make India stronger. Once the matter is settled and we catch them, then a commission should be set up to see whose mistake it was, and where the lapse happened. Now is not the time to blame anyone, now is the time to act.

Media: What is your view on the caste census?

Farooq Abdullah: The caste census is a very good thing. How many Dalits are there? How many Muslims are there, how many Sikhs, how many Christians, how many Buddhists, everyone will know. This country belongs to everyone. The world will know this country is a garden of many colours and that many people live here; people who believe in it. It’s a good thing. This demand has been there for a long time.

Media: Is the country ready for war?

Farooq Abdullah: This will be the Prime Minister’s final command. The PM has given full freedom to the three chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. But the final command is in the PM’s hand.

Media: Do you think war is the only solution?

Farooq Abdullah: I would say, we should see Russia and Ukraine’s war. Who suffered? Ukraine got destroyed. America did not, even give weapons, but people died in Ukraine. Both sides should think about who suffers. There should be an attempt to open diplomatic channels. In America itself there was terrorism, 9/11 can’t be forgotten. We have given warnings several times to stop terrorism but they won’t listen.