Maha: Protest messages painted on Karnataka bus

Members of the Maratha Mahasangh on Thursday painted messages on a bus of the Karnataka State Road Transport to protest against Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai’s statements on the border dispute.

Words “Jai Maharashtra” and “Jahir nishedh” (condemnation) were painted in orange and black on a Nipani-Aurangabad bus at Daund in Pune district, said one of its members.

They also shouted slogans against the Karnataka chief minister.

Bommai had claimed on Tuesday that some village panchayats in Jat taluka of Maharashtra’s Sangli district had passed a resolution in the past seeking to merge with Karnataka when they were facing a severe water crisis.

The statement drew sharp criticism with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis saying that it was a demand made in 2012 and had no relevance now. “Not a single village of Maharashtra will go anywhere,” he said.