Govind Karjol lashes out at Thackeray for raising border issue

Belagavi: Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol on Sunday lashed out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for raking up the border and alleged he was doing so to divert attention from infighting in the coalition government there.

Thackeray had been raising the issue of merger of Belagavi, Karwar and Nippani which has a strong presence of Marathi speaking people, with his state. He had recently demanded that the Marathi speaking regions in Karnataka be declared a Union Territory till the Supreme Court gives its final verdict.

Deputy CM Govind Karjol said that Thackeray should remember that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whom the Shiv Sena perceives as its icon and named its party after him, was a Kannadiga.

“Thackeray does not know history. Shivaji’s forefather Belliyappa was from Soratur in Gadag district in Karnataka. When there was drought in Gadag, Belliyappa left for Maharashtra. Shivaji was the fourth generation of the family,” Karjol said.

He opined that Thackeray had been raising this issue just to divert attention from the infighting in the coalition government headed by him and fear of losing power..