Belagavi issue: Deputy CM Ashwathnarayan flays Shiv Sena leaders

Belagavi: Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwathnarayan on Sunday made it clear that the Belagavi border issue was settled, even as he accused certain political leaders in neighbouring Maharashtra of raking it up for political reasons.

Also, he urged them to focus on issues of public good that need immediate attention rather than instigating people for petty reasons on such emotive issues that have already been decided upon.

The Karnataka and Maharashtra border issue has already been settled by the Mahajan commission report, so they(political leaders) should stop repeatedly instigating the people on the issue with political motive,”Ashwathnarayan told reporters here.

He said, We all are Indians, boundaries between states have been fixed and decided upon. Instead of repeatedly dwelling on the issue, there are many good work to do. There are no boundaries for humanity and good work…”

“… Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena leader) raking up such an issue is making things awkward for himself,” he added.

Ashwathnarayanwas reacting to visits by Shiv Sena leaders Raut and Maharashtra minister of state Rajendra Patil Yadravkars to Belagavi allegedly with an intention to bring the border issue up.

Raut, during his visit to Belgagavi, has reportedly said the 70-year-old border issue between two states can be resolved by a ‘strong’ Union Home Minister like Amit Shah, who abrogated Article 370 related to Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar should meet to resolve demands of Marathi-speaking people of Belagavi and nearby areas.

Last month, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had declared that not even an inch of the state’s land would be given away and accused his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray of stoking the Belagavi issue for political gains, as there were protests by the ruling Shiv Sena workers.

Maharashtra claims the border district of Belagavi was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, but is currently a district of Karnataka, on linguistic grounds.

Uddhav Thackeray had, in December, appointed ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Eknath Shinde as co-coordinators to oversee his government’s efforts to expedite the case relating to the boundary dispute with Karnataka.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which has been fighting in the border areas of Belagavi for the merger of 800-odd villages with Maharashtra, had also recently submitted a memorandum of their demands to Uddhav Thackeray.

On its part as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of the state, Karnataka has built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat in Bengaluru, where legislature session is held once a year.