Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today cautioned people against elements out to drive a wedge between Indian and Nepal, as he stressed that the two neighbours have shared strong socio-cultural ties for centuries.
"We (India and Nepal) have shared strong cultural and social ties for centuries and citizens of the two countries should not lower their guard against elements which are trying to create a rift between them," Rawat, without naming anyone.
"We must be on our guard against such forces. In fact in the present global scenario, our centuries-old socio-cultural ties need to be further cemented," he added.
The chief minister's remarks came while he was addressing a seminar on security-related issues between India and Nepal at the Forest Research Institute here.
"I, for one, feel India and Nepal are one. People of Uttarakhand have even family ties in Nepal," he said at the two-day seminar being jointly organised by by India's Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad and Nepal's Niti Anusandhan Pratishthan.
Expressing happiness at the event being organised in Dehradun, Rawat said the outcome of the deliberations at the seminar should be disseminated to the people in both the countries as it would bring them closer.
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