Uddhav, Pawar set to attend Belagavi event

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Madhyavarti MES president Deepak Dalavi said they had invited ten political leaders from Maharashtra including former CM Uddhav Thackeray, National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashta Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which holds a convention each year in Belagavi on the inaugural day of Karnataka assembly’s winter session, has invited a raft of high profile leaders this year amid renewed tension between the two states over the decades-old border dispute.

Uddhav Thackeray with Sharad Pawar. The Mahamelava convention is scheduled to be held on December 19 in Belagavi. (ANI)

The convention, called the Mahamelava, is scheduled to be held on December 19, the first day of the winter session in Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Madhyavarti MES president Deepak Dalavi said they had invited ten political leaders from Maharashtra including former CM Uddhav Thackeray, National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashta Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray.

“The leaders whom we invited have shown a positive response. Both the Thackerays and Sharad Pawar are expected to take part. If that happens, we give a strong tit-for-tat to Karnataka’s legislative session. Sessions are being conducted against our interest,” said Dalavi.

It was not immediately clear if the Karnataka government had issued permission for the event or even if it was expected to do so.

The border dispute between the two states started when Belagavi, earlier known as Belgaum, was handed over to the Mysore State according to the State Reorganisation Act of 1956. The then Maharashtra government rebuffed the implementation and demanded a readjustment of the border with Karnataka in 1957 claiming 2,806 square miles which had 814 villages and urban cities including Belagavi, Karwar, and Nipani.

Dalavi said on Tuesday that the Karnataka government should not hold the legislative assembly session till the border dispute is resolved. “Meanwhile, Belagavi should be declared a Union Territory,” he added.

The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, which is a pro-Kannada organisation, has opposed the convention and said inviting high profile leaders would only worsen the situation.

“Every year, despite our opposition, the government allows the MES to hold this Maha mela. Every year, they violate these conditions, but no action is taken. This year, they are making the situation worse by inviting these leaders,” said Ganesh Rokhade, an office bearer of the outfit.

Preparations for the winter session of Karnataka assembly are underway at the Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in Belagavi. Assembly Speaker Vishveshwar Hegade Kageri reviewed the preparations on Monday.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Tuesday, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said he would make the state’s stand clear at the meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah scheduled on Wednesday.

“The Union Home Minister has called Chief Ministers of both states to discuss the border dispute, where we will make our stand clear. I will be sharing details about all the developments that have taken place after the State Reorganisation Act till now-when the case (is) before the Supreme Court,” Bommai said.

(With PTI inputs)