Congress president Kharge extends formation day greetings to states, UTs

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday greeted the people of Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu on their formation day.

Taking to social media platform, X, the Congress chief said that the country's innate diversity strengthens India.

"Our warm greetings on the Formation Day of Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. Our innate diversity strengthens India. We wish each one of the States and UTs peace, prosperity and unbridled progress," Kharge said in his post on X.

Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Lakshadweep and Puducherry are observing their Foundation Day today.

Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala came into being in 1956 while Haryana was formed in 1966 and Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.

Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956, by integrating Travancore, Cochin, and Malabar. On November 1, 1956, Andhra Pradesh was formed by bringing together all Telugu-speaking regions of Hyderabad.

Karnataka was founded on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day on November 1, 1956, after the passing of the State Reorganisation Act. Karnataka was formed when all Kannada-speaking regions of India were merged to form a single state. However, the state had to be renamed Karnataka on November 1, 1973.

It was originally known as Mysore State. The State of Madhya Pradesh was formed by merging the erstwhile Central Provinces CP & Berar, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal. November 1 is celebrated as Chhattisgarh Foundation Day since 2000.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh was a part of Madhya Pradesh. On this day, in 1966, the state of Haryana was carved out of Punjab while Punjab Day is also celebrated across the state on November 1 marking the formation of the state under the Punjab Reorganisation Act (1966). During the reorganization of Indian states in 1956, the Lakshadweep islands were separated from Malabar District and organised into a separate union territory for administrative purposes.

The formation of Puducherry is celebrated as Liberation Day every year on November 1. The commemorates the transfer of Puducherry from French colonial rule to India.