Opposition outcry on lathi charge in border area, demands answers from govt

Nagpur: The Karnataka government’s refusal to allow elected representatives from Maharashtra into the border area to support the protest by Marathi-speaking people from Karnataka on Monday resulted in an outcry in the Maharashtra state legislature

Nagpur: The Karnataka government’s refusal to allow elected representatives from Maharashtra into the border area to support the protest by Marathi-speaking people from Karnataka on Monday resulted in an outcry in the Maharashtra state legislature. The Opposition demanded judicial intervention against the action and questioned the ‘soft stand’ by the Maharashtra government vis-à-vis the ‘atrocities’ and continuing obduracy of the Karnataka government.

Police personnel detain Karnataka Rakshana Vedike supporters during a protest over the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, at Hire Bagewadi, in Belagavi on Tuesday. (ANI)

The Karnataka police resorted to a lathi-charge at Kognoli toll plaza at the border after the state’s Marathi-speaking people, supported by NCP leaders from Maharashtra, staged a protest on Monday. The protest was announced to condemn the alleged atrocities in the Marathi-speaking areas, including Belgavi, and to denounce the Karnataka government’s move to hold a legislature session in the disputed area.

The Karnataka police had also issued a prohibitory order to stop Maharashtra MP Dhairyasheel Mane from entering the state. Mane, who has been appointed by the state government to coordinate affairs in the border row, was supposed to visit the border area to express solidarity with the protestors.

The Maharashtra Opposition raised the issue in both houses of the state legislature on Monday and demanded to know what the state government intended doing to condemn the action by Karnataka. “Despite the intervention by Union home minister Amit Shah and the subsequent agreement between the two states, the Karnataka chief minister has been making provocative statements leading to tension in the border area,” said Ajit Pawar, leader of the Opposition. “The action taken by the Karnataka government is anti-constitutional and in continuation of its adamant stand. The Maharashtra government too needs to take an aggressive stand and support Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka.”

Peasant and Workers Party legislator Jayant Patil questioned why the Shinde-Fadnavis government was not moving the apex court to point out the contempt of court inherent in not maintaining status quo till the SC took up the border dispute case.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, responding to the Opposition’s criticism, averred that the government would condemn the action by Karnataka. “Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka have every right to stage protests in a democratic way,” he said. “If the Karnataka government is prohibiting this, it is against their constitutional right. Elected representatives who had gone there to extend support were also detained. We will see to it that the leaders who have been detained are released. We will also bring to the notice of the SC the action by Karnataka despite the case pending before the court.”

Chief minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis also agreed to pass a resolution in the state legislature to express solidarity with the Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka as demanded by NCP legislator Chhagan Bhujbal. “Political parties in Karnataka are standing united on the issue,” said Fadnavis. “We too should refrain from politicising the issue, and stand collectively by the Marathi-speaking people.”

Maharashtra has been demanding the inclusion of 865 villages which have a predominance of Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka. It moved the SC in 2004 for the inclusion of these villages. The border dispute escalated again recently after the Karnataka CM staked a claim on 40 Maharashtra villages in Jat tehsil of Sangli district.