Won't allow Sena, MNS to take law into their hands: Ashok Chavan

Amid growing strident campaign against North Indians by Shiv Sena and MNS, Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan today warned that government would not "sit quiet" and allow them to take law into their own hands.

"We will not sit quiet. We will show by our action," Chavan told reporters here when asked what his government proposed to do to deal with attacks against North Indians in the 'Mumbai for Marathis' campaign by Sena and Raj Thackeray-led MNS.

Chavan said if the MNS and Sena took law into their own hands "we will take stringent action against them". Accusing both the parties of carrying out a campaign against North Indians for political gains, he said, "We will not allow these things to happen."

Disapproving of the Sena-MNS campaign, Chavan said under the Constitution "anyone can live anywhere in India". 

On the Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary dispute, Chavan said his state would abide by the Supreme Court verdict on it. He said Maharashtra has placed its views on the issue before the Apex Court.

Karnataka has also submitted its opinion to the court, he said, adding, "There is nothing much to say at this stage." Maharashtra has filed a petition in the Supreme Court claiming that certain areas on its boundary with Karnataka belong to it.

However, Karnataka has contested this, saying the boundary row has already been resolved as per the recommendations of the Mahajan Commission.

Chavan wanted Karnataka to protect the interests of Marathi speaking people in Belgaum, which Maharashtra claims belongs to it.