Last Update: March 15, 2023, 21:11 IST
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. (file photo)
He was responding to criticism from the Congress over his administration’s alleged inaction when the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra recently announced an additional Rs 54 crore to implement the ‘Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana’ in villages bordering Karnataka .
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government would take steps to stop the Maharashtra government from offering its health insurance scheme in 865 border villages that the neighboring state is trying to claim.
He was responding to criticism from the Congress over the alleged inaction of his administration on Maharashtra’s Eknath Shinde government recently announcing an additional Rs 54 crore to implement the ‘Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana’ in villages bordering Karnataka , which the neighboring state itself is claiming. ,
Terming the Maharashtra government’s move as an “insult” to Karnataka, state Congress president DK Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah today demanded Bommai’s resignation, accusing him of “miserably failing” to protect the interests of the state and Kannadigas. Accused of.
Responding to a question from reporters about Congress demanding his resignation, Bommai said, “If Maharashtra releases here (money), why should I resign?” We have also released funds to places like Pandharpur, Tuljapur in Maharashtra where people from Karnataka come. Don’t learn from DK Shivakumar.” Earlier, warning the Maharashtra government, Shivakumar said not even an inch of Karnataka land would be given.
“This is our land, our water, and we will protect it. We are ready to sacrifice our lives to protect our land,” he said, as he urged the Karnataka government to retaliate immediately, adding that it was a matter of the state’s self-respect.
Calling upon pro-Kannada organisations, artistes and litterateurs to come together in one voice to express their protest against Maharashtra’s move, Shivakumar also questioned the silence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Hubli, Siddaramaiah said Maharashtra’s move was a threat to India’s federal structure.
Hitting out at Bommai for failing to protect the interests of Karnataka, he said he had no right to continue as the chief minister and should resign immediately.
The decades-old border row between the two states intensified in December last year, with vehicles from both sides being targeted, leaders of both states weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being thrashed by the police amid a tense atmosphere in Belagavi. was taken into custody.
Along with this, both the states had passed resolutions against each other in their respective assemblies while presenting their claim on the border villages.
The boundary issue dates back to 1957 when the states were reorganized on linguistic basis. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, because it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages that are currently part of Karnataka.
Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic basis as per the States Reorganization Act and the Mahajan Commission Report of 1967 is final. And, as part of Belagavi’s claim to be an integral part of the state, Karnataka built the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha there, modeled on the Vidhan Soudha, the seat of the state legislature and secretariat in Bengaluru. PTI KSU Aane Roh Roh
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)