Belgaum issue: Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi ministers to observe “black day” today

Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government (MVA) ministers will sport black ribbons and observe ‘black day’ on Sunday to show their solidarity to the Marathi-speaking population

Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government (MVA) ministers will sport black ribbons and observe ‘black day’ on Sunday to show their solidarity to the Marathi-speaking population of Karnataka’s Belgaum region.

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The border dispute between the two states has been simmering for decades now.

According to a letter written to the people of the region by MVA minister handling the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute Eknath Shinde and his cabinet colleague Chhagan Bhujbal, November 1 is considered a black day for Maharashtra as the Belgaum-Karwar region, which has around 865 Marathi-speaking villages, went to Karnataka while states were carved out on linguistic basis.

Shinde said that the show of solidarity is to express the state government’s firm support to the movement to integrate the region with Maharashtra.

“The Marathi-speaking people of all religions and castes consider Maharashtra as its own. Therefore, the political, economic, cultural and social issues of the people belonging to the Dalit community as well as other minorities from the border region are extremely crucial for us,” Shinde and Bhujbal stated in their joint letter.

“The black day will be observed on November 1 to demand the integration of Belgaum and its bordering areas with Maharashtra. The entire MVA cabinet will wear black ribbons to show support to the people in the bordering areas… We will raise the voice of the Marathi brothers in these areas and condemn oppression,” state minister from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Jayant Patil tweeted.

Patil also asked NCP functionaries to sport black ribbons on Sunday, while Shinde has appealed to reporters and journalists in Maharashtra to wear them.