Make border areas Union territories till dispute is resolved, says Shiv Sena (UBT)

As protests continued in several areas of Maharashtra a day after vehicles from the state were attacked on the outskirts of Belgavi in Karnataka, chief minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah and Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to reduce the tension between the two states

Mumbai: As protests continued in several areas of Maharashtra a day after vehicles from the state were attacked on the outskirts of Belgavi in Karnataka, chief minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah and Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to reduce the tension between the two states and bring the situation under control. The opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), meanwhile, stepped up the pressure on the Centre to resolve the issue immediately.

Navi Mumbai, India - December 07, 2022: Shiv Sainiks protest outside Karnataka Bhawan as Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute intensifies, at Vashi, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, December 07, 2022. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The Shinde-Fadnavis government is under tremendous pressure with regard to the security of around one lakh devotees from Kolhapur and neighbouring areas who are currently in Belgavi on a pilgrimage to the Yellamma Temple. The CM said he had spoken to Bommai about this, and told him that the pilgrims, as also other people from Maharashtra, should not face trouble of any kind. “I also demanded that those involved in attacking the vehicles be brought to book. The Karnataka CM has agreed to it,” Shinde told reporters on Wednesday. The Maharashtra CM maintained that the governments in both states did not want the law-and-order situation to be disturbed since the border dispute matter was before the Supreme Court.

Both Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah. “I told the Union home minister that it was wrong to attack Maharashtra vehicles,” said Fadnavis. “I also requested him to direct the Karnataka chief minister and home minister that such attacks needed to be stopped immediately.” The development is significant, as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had announced on Tuesday that he would visit Karnataka if the situation was not brought under control in the following 48 hours.

Members of Parliament from all the three opposition parties—the NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress—are going to meet the Union home minister on the issue. NCP MP Supriya Sule said that they had sought Shah’s appointment and will now be meeting him on Thursday afternoon.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), while talking to reporters, demanded that the Centre declare Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka, including Belgavi, as Union territories till the dispute was resolved in the Supreme Court. Party MP Sanjay Raut charged both the BJP-led central government and the Karnataka government with working against the interests of Maharashtra, and blamed CM Shinde for surrendering to them.

NCP MP Supriya Sule demanded a clarification from the Union home minister on the issue while accusing Bommai of making statements to splinter Maharashtra. “The Karnataka CM has been talking nonsense about breaking up Maharashtra,” she said in the Lok Sabha. “Yesterday, people from Maharashtra were thrashed. A conspiracy has been going on for the past ten days. This should not be allowed.”

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena too jumped into the fray. Party chief Raj Thackeray alleged that the BJP-led Karnataka government was targeting Maharashtra in order to score brownie points with voters in the state assembly polls scheduled for next year, an accusation made by the opposition parties as well.

“Karnataka wants a conflict, as its assembly elections are approaching,” the MNS president said on Wednesday. “This is the reason Maharashtra is being targeted. The issue should be resolved by holding discussions, but if Karnataka wants to clash with us, then fine. We have shown what MNS activists are capable of.”