Nagpur: A day after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai reiterated that Karnataka will not give an inch of land to Maharashtra, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said that Maha CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis should take aggressive postures and give a befitting reply to Bommai.
"The Karnataka CM and the state government have said that it will not give even an inch of land to Maharashtra and a resolution in this regard is also going to be brought in the Karnataka legislature. The Karnataka Assembly discussed the border issue on Tuesday amid Bommai said that the border issue is over," said Pawar.
Pawar questioned why Maharashtra CM and DCM are not giving a befitting reply to Karnataka CM's comments.
"As discussed in the Business Advisory Committee, the state government will table a resolution extending support to the Marathi speaking people in the border area. The opposition will unanimously support the resolution making it amply clear that Maharashtra stands firmly with the Marathi speaking people from the border area," he said.
"The Karnataka government and Mr Bommai stuck to their position. However, Belgaum Karwar, Nippani, Bidar and other villages should come to Maharashtra. That needs to be reiterated and told boldly. We strongly demand that the state government should take the same stand on behalf of the state in the Supreme Court as well," said Pawar.
On the other hand, the state Congress chief Nana Patole accused Karnataka government of continuing with its bullying tactics every day on the border issue. "Even after discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka is deliberately making offensive statements against Maharashtra and the ED (Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis) government in the state is silent about it," he noted.
"The central government should intervene in the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute but it is not doing anything. The Bharatiya Janata Party government is in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Centre too. Despite that BJP cannot control the Karnataka government from its bullying tactics.All this is going on with the blessings of the central government. This is a plan of the BJP and Narendra Modi to break Maharashtra and unfortunately the ED government in Maharashtra continues to be cowardly silent about it. The Karnataka government needs to be given a befitting reply," said Mr Patole.
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