MNS's regionalism can lead to division of Mah : Shankaracharya

Jamshedpur, Nov 2 (UNI) Condemning the regionalism of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Swarupananda Saraswati today said Maharashtra would be divided if Raj Thackeray continued to ignite this feeling.

Talking to reporters, he said,'' Promotion of regionalism is a great threat to the unity of the country. Anyone can live anywhere in the country and there is no single state in the country where people of other states do not reside.'' ''Marathi alone were not responsible for making Mumbai, it had contribution of the people of other states also,'' he said.

The Shankaracharya said, Raj Thackeray, who was promoting 'Maharashtravaad', should understand that Maharashtara also had diffrent simmering sentiments for Vidharabha, Pune and Mumbai and if regionalism was promoted, these sentiments would also get strengthening up, leading to a divide.

Meanwhile, expressing concern over the increasing pollution in the holy river Ganga , he said he had raised the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he met him last, And the Prime Minister has assured him that he would place before the Cabinet the matter of pronouncing the river Ganga as a national river, he added.

To this effect, he had also written a letter to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the Shankaracharya said.

UNI XC GT LS BST2354