Governor BS Koshyari at the joint session of the state legislature on Monday said the state government is committed to the Marathi speaking people of the border areas and is resolved to get them justice.
"My Government has strongly presented the case of Maharashtra in the original suit filed in the Supreme Court on Maharashtra Karnataka Border Dispute and henceforth will continue to present the same. My Government expresses its commitment to the Marathi speaking people of the border areas and is committed to get them justice. It has recently published a volume titled “Maharashtra Karnataka Seemavaad: Sangharsh aaani Sankalp” to comprehensively present the issue. Copies of this book will be made available to the Members of the State Legislature in this Session,’’ said Governor.
Governor’s statement came days after a war of words between the political leaders from the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra and the BJP led government in Karnataka on the long-pending border dispute.
It all started after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had proposed that areas dominated by Marathi- speaking people on the state’s border with Karnataka should be declared as a Union Territory till the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the issue. He lashed out at the Karnataka government over alleged atrocities on Marathi- speaking population in those areas and said there is a need to fight to win the case for their inclusion in Maharashtra.
The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister countered Thackeray and demanded that Mumbai be made a Union territory until it is merged with Karnataka as it was once a part of the Bombay-Karnataka region and hence the people of the state have a rightful claim to it.
Thereafter, Karnataka’s another Deputy Chief Minister claimed that the ancestors of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were originally from Karnataka. He further said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also a Kannadiga.
However, Savadi was snubbed by Maharashtra DCM Ajit Pawar, who categorically declared, “Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra. It was ours yesterday, is ours today and will be ours in the future too. Nobody can change this.''
Thackeray had avowed, “We have to learn from past experiences and fight to win. The Karnataka-occupied Marathi-speaking areas will be included in Maharashtra. Let's take a pledge that we will not rest till we win. If the long-pending issue is not resolved during this (MVA) government's tenure, it will never be,’’ he said.
NCP Chief Sharad Pawar asserted that the Supreme Court was the "last weapon for the state" and Maharashtra should use all its legal acumen to win the case.
