Mumbai, July 22 -- Amid the ongoing row over language in Maharashtra, Governor CP Radhakrishnan has urged people to refrain from spreading hatred based on linguistic differences, warning that such attitudes could harm the state in the long run.

Sharing a personal experience from his time as an MP in Tamil Nadu, the Maharashtra Governor said, "...one day I saw some people beating someone. When I asked them about the problem, they were speaking in Hindi. Then, the hotel owner told me that they don't speak Tamil, and people were beating them to speak Tamil."

He added, "If we spread this kind of hatred, then who will come and invest...? In the long run, we are only harming Maharashtra. I'm unable to understand Hindi, and that is an obstacle...