Home Minister assures to look into Maharashtra-Karnataka border row

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday said that she and her party leaders were assured of an urgent resolution to the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking to ANI, Chaturvedi said, “The issues we discussed were with regards to Maharashtra and how a situation has been created at the borders with provocative statements coming from Karnataka Chief Minister (Basavaraj Bommai) and how Shah’s intervention in the matter is necessary. Due to the problem manufactured, we saw our buses being damaged and our people not being allowed to enter their territory. So this kind of atmosphere will further lead to violence and break down of law and order.”

Lashing out at Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “We have asked him (Amit Shah) to ensure peace and urged him to control the Chief Minister Bommai’s outbursts and also ensure that there is no law and order issue in Karnataka as well as in Maharashtra. We want him (Amit Shah) to find a faster resolution to this entire issue and he has promised that he will look into the matter urgently”, she added.

A meeting was held between Shah and a delegation of MPs of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties (comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress) over the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue.

After the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute escalated, many untoward incidents took place in both states. On Tuesday, Bommai appealed to his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde to fight the border dispute issue legally, as it is in court now. Bommai also raised concerns over the visit of the two ministers to Belagavi.

Belagavi is currently part of Karnataka, but is claimed by Maharashtra. As per media reports, the long-running Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute started back in 1953 after the Maharashtra government objected to the inclusion of 865 villages including Belagavi, in Karnataka. The villages are spread across Belagavi and the north-western and north-eastern regions of Karnataka, all bordering Maharashtra.

After the implementation of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, the Maharashtra government demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka. Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but it was turned down by Karnataka. Now, both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter, which is still pending. (ANI)