Amid continuing political tension over the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has warned a delegation from Mumbai against visiting Belagavi, a key site in the dispute.
Bommai has also threatened legal action if the delegation – which includes Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai – Visited Belagavi.
The CM insisted that it was not “appropriate” for him to visit the area in the present situation and would take legal action if he did not heed to his request.
Patil and Desai have been appointed as coordinating ministers for the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue and have suspended their visit to the region from December 3 to December 6 to participate in events to mark ‘Mahaparinirvan Diwas’ or the death anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar. was given.
The delegation also includes MP Dhairysheel Mane, who was appointed as the head of the expert committee on the border dispute.
Maharashtra and Karnataka have been involved in a long-standing border dispute, with the former seeking administrative control over Marathi-speaking Belgaum and some other villages in the neighboring state.
Take a look at the highlights of the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute
Recent originators of this issue: Bommai had recently demanded the merger of “Kannada-speaking” areas in Maharashtra’s Akkalkot and Solapur and also said that some villages in the Jat taluka of Sangli district wanted to join the southern state.
Travel from 6th December onwards: Kannada organizations have called upon activists to come to Belagavi to prevent the Maharashtra delegation from entering the state.
100 vehicles to enter Belagavi: Karnataka Rakshana Vedike announced that Kannada workers from Bengaluru would leave for Belagavi in 100 vehicles on Monday evening.
Belagavi in the center: Security was tightened in Belagavi on Wednesday in anticipation of increased tension after the hearing of the dispute petition in the Supreme Court.
Student thrashed in Belagavi The attack on a Kannada-speaking student on Wednesday evening has raised tensions in Belagavi.
CM visited Ramdurga: Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai is in Ramadurga in Belagavi on Friday to attend a government program related to the development project, but he did not visit any of the border areas.
Shinde Appointed Committee: Ministers Patil and Desai were appointed by the Eknath Shinde government to coordinate with the state’s legal team on the boundary issue.
Delegation likely to meet MES: He was likely to meet leaders of the Maharashtra Integration Committee (MES), which has been spearheading the movement for Belagavi’s merger with Maharashtra for decades.
NCP questions the silence of BJP, Center Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday Questioned the “awful silence” of the Maharashtra government, the BJP and the Center on the “unnecessary” statements made by Bommai.
Patil meets Marathi speaking delegation Patil on Thursday discussed with former Karnataka MLA MG Mulay and a Marathi speaking delegation from Bidar, Karnataka, the problems faced by them in the border areas.
SC did not hear the petition: A petition by the Maharashtra government on the dispute was to be heard in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. However, the petition did not come up for hearing.
Bommai remained adamant: “Karnataka’s stand is very clear, Maharashtra’s appeal is not maintainable, this is our stand, and our lawyers will also argue the same. Our stand is both constitutional and legal, Bommai said.
Take a Look at the History of the Controversy
This brings to light again the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka over Belagavi (earlier Belgaum). The dispute goes back to the 1960s after the reorganization of states on linguistic lines.
Maharashtra lays claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi speaking population. It also laid claim to 80 Marathi-speaking villages that are currently part of Karnataka.
with agency inputs
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