Political mayhem and uncertainty looms over the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row, which has intensified in the last couple of weeks, as the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party camps are unable to reach a common ground.
While the Karnataka side has come up with a “resolution” that aims at protecting the state’s interests, the neighboring Maharashtra has yet to formally announce one.
What is Maharashtra saying?
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted the state government will fight even for “an inch of land.” Speaking at the state Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said, “We will fight even for an inch. We will do whatever we can for the justice of the Marathi-speaking population in Karnataka.”
The issue of Maharashtra-Karnataka border row echoed in the ongoing winter session of the state Assembly here on Monday, with the opposition demanding a resolution on the issue.
Apart from him, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the central government should declare “Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra” areas as a Union Territory.
Till the issue is pending before the Supreme Court, the “Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra should be declared as a Union Territory by the central government,” Thackeray said.
Thackeray added it is not just a case of language and border, but of “humanity”.
This comes after, Maharashtra minister Shamburaj Desai on Friday said the state government will bring a resolution next week dispute and this will be “ten times more effective” than the one passed by Maharashtra.
Desai said the resolution will be passed by the state legislature on Monday. However, Maharashtra assembly has no mention of the resolution on its agenda today.
“The CM is very keen on resolution as he is facing the hit from opposition which has blamed him for the ‘soft stand’ in comparison to his Karnataka counterpart,” the leader said.
On Karnataka’s resolution, Desai said, “we will also convey to union home minister our strong displeasure over the leaders from Maharashtra being stopped from entering Karnataka,” he said.
Also, according to some BSS leaders, the BJP is not very keen on putting forth a resolution at this time, Hindustan Times reported.
Desai, is a member of the Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Coordination Committee appointed by the state.
What is Karnataka’s resolution?
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution on the border row, resolving to protect the state’s interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour.
The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and was adopted by a voice vote. It condemned the border dispute “created” by Maharashtra.
Intensification of the border row
The border row had intensified in the last couple of weeks, with vehicles from either side being targeted, leaders from both the states weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being detained by police amid a tense atmosphere in Belagavi in Karnataka.
Maharashtra and Karnataka have been involved in a long-standing border dispute, with the former seeking administrative control of Marathi-speaking Belgaum and some other villages of the neighbouring state.
Take a look at history of dispute
This brings back to light, the decades-old border dispute over Belagavi (earlier Belgaum) between Maharashtra and Karnataka. The dispute goes back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of States on linguistic lines.
Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 80 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.
With agency inputs
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