‘Belgavi is ours, anyone who has lived in K’taka for 10 years is Kannadiga’

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan speaking in support with the Karnataka government’s decision of allocating Rs 50 crore as initial grant for the Maratha Development Board formation in the state said that whoever has lived in Karnataka for 10 years is a Kannadiga.

Addressing pressperson Ashwath said, “The Maratha Development Corporation is set up for the benefit of the Marathi people in the state, not the Marathi speakers.

He further added, “It is not right to associate language with corporations. There is no point in bandh. If anyone lived in Karnataka for ten years, they are all legal residents of Karnataka.”

“Organisations like Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) should not be allowed to make such a concerted effort to prevent growth in Belagavi. Belgavi is ours. There is no question of giving away an inch of land in Belagavi. We are doing all this to ensure that the Marathas in the state are ours,” he added.