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Hiroshima, May 20: The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi here in this Japanese city.

The location of the bust of Gandhi has been chosen as a mark of solidarity for peace and non-violence. The US conducted the world's first nuclear attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing some 140,000 people.

Modi also spoke to reporters after unveiling the bust and said that even today the world gets frightened even today when it hears the word 'Hiroshima'.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, representing a Hiroshima constituency in the House of Representatives, invited Modi to the G-7 Summit as a guest.

The bust was gifted by India to Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between India and Japan on the occasion of Prime Minister Modi's visit to the city for the G7 summit.

"Unveiled Mahatma Gandhi’s bust in Hiroshima. This bust in Hiroshima gives a very important message. The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions," the prime minister tweeted.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the bust was a befitting tribute to a city that symbolises humanity's yearning for peace.

The 42-inch tall bronze bust has been sculpted by Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar. The bust site, adjacent to the Motoyasu River, is close to the iconic A-Bomb Dome that is visited by thousands of people - locals and tourists alike - every day.

Gandhi dedicated his life to peace and non-violence. The location truly resonates with the principles and life of Gandhiji, which continue to inspire the world and its leaders, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

After unveiling the bust, Modi paid floral tributes to Gandhi.

He thanked the mayor of the city and the Japanese government for the opportunity to unveil the Gandhi bust and said it will take forward the idea of non-violence.

"It is a great moment for me to know that the Bodhi tree that I gifted to the Japanese prime minister has been planted here in Hiroshima so that people can understand the importance of peace when they come here. I pay my respect to Mahatma Gandhi," Modi said.

Modi also held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida, focusing on ways to synergise efforts under G7 and G20 presidencies to deal with various global challenges.

Modi arrived in Hiroshima on Friday on the first leg of his three-nation trip to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia and is expected to take part in over 40 engagements.

Modi is visiting Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 primarily for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies in which he is expected to speak on challenges facing the globe, including food, fertiliser and energy security.

He will hold bilateral meetings with some of the world leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit.

The G7 bloc comprises Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.

Dubai: The UAE chapter of NRI Congress - Karnataka celebrated the historic victory of Congress in Karnataka assembly elections 2023 on Saturday, May 20, 2023 in Dubai.

This event comprised of NRIs such as Mohammed Azeem, Dubai Real Estate Pioneer & Director- Irham Healthcare Group, Shafi Naser, Investor, Dubai Real Estate Corp Inc, Rahman Sajipa, president and member of various cultural organisations, Shaikh Muzaffer, Founder, Aim India Forum, Dr Aris, social worker, Mohammed Niyaz, Aslam, Mohammed Noushad, Rizwan kundapur, Mohammed Imran and others. 

The NRI Congress leaders and activists congratulated Chief Minister Siddaramaih, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and the Cabinet Ministers on this remarkable achievement.

Some of the attendees shared their thoughts and stressed on the need to strengthen the Karnataka unit of NRI Congress.

Mohammed Azeem spoke on how important the formation NRI Congress chapter is to support and represent Karnataka’s culture and strengthen the ties with the government in the coming days.

"We see that there is no strong representation of KNRI body in UAE who support Kannadigas in need. Today's youth will be our future,” he said.

The chief guest Shafi Naser, congratulated the victory of Congress and highlighted that positive developments in the state will be seen. 

The High Court of Karnataka has rejected a petition filed by Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) seeking to unseal its properties in Mangaluru which came to be sealed by the authorities following the ban imposed by the Central Government on the organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).

The authorities had sealed nine office premises of SDPI in Mangaluru on September 28, 2022 on the charge of being used for the activities of the PFI, which was banned under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The SDPI had claimed that it was not one of those entities that were declared to be associates of PFI and therefore the very act of the State government in searching and sealing the offices of the SDPI was contrary to law.

The petitioner submitted that it is a political party and has its representation all over India, more particularly, in the Dakshina Kannada district. It was claimed that the political party is in the forefront of empowerment of the deprived sections of the society by divisive forces through its political movement.

A single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna observed that the notifications to seal the premises were issued under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. "Therefore, the petitioner has an alternative remedy which is statutory and necessarily to be availed of, in the peculiar facts of this case, as recording of evidence for the acts of the State is imperative.”

“Merely because all the offices in Mangaluru are sealed and not anywhere else would not mean that evidence would not be required for the petitioner to prove its case in terms of Section 8 of the UAP Act,” said Justice M. Nagaprasanna.

On September 27, 2022, the Central Government declared PFI and its associates or affiliates or Fronts as unlawful associations. It also empowered State Governments and Union territories to exercise powers under Sections 7 (Power to prohibit the use of funds of an unlawful association) and 8 (Power to notify places used for the purpose of an unlawful association) of the Act. Based on the aforesaid notification, several raids took place in the city of Mangaluru. While so doing, certain campuses and places which were being allegedly used by several organisations were sealed and a few such offices of the petitioner/SDPI were also sealed in Mangaluru.