Declare disputed Karnataka border areas union territory: Ashok Chavan

The Centre should declare the Marathi-speaking areas along the Karnataka border ‘union territory’ till the border dispute between the two states is resolved, chief minister Ashok Chavan demanded in the legislative council on Tuesday even as inter-state bus services continued to be affected.

The all-party delegation, which is scheduled to meet prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, will place the demand before him, he said. Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray had taken a similar stand and sought union territory status for the villages in dispute earlier.

“The Karnataka government is committing atrocities on the Marathi-speaking people… It’s policies need to be condemned,” Chavan told the council. He said the Maharashtra government has been writing letters to the Karnataka chief minister from time to time to register its protest against police atrocities in the border areas.

“Even the municipal elections are not allowed to happen democratically to keep Marathi-speaking people out.  

In such a situation, it will only be appropriate that the territory be declared union territory till the issue is resolved,” Chavan said.
Refuting the Mahajan Commission’s report on the border row, Chavan said it recommended inclusion of only 265 villages in Maharashtra while the state is demanding 865 villages. The government has not accepted the report and informed the Supreme Court about it.     

He also appealed to the members of the state BJP to work as mediator between Maharashtra and Karnataka. “Your party is in government in Karnataka. If you can speak to the chief minister there and find out whether there is any scope to resolve the issue with consensus, we are ready for discussion. Meanwhile, we will continue our fight in the Supreme Court,” he said.

Earlier, Peasant and Workers Party (PWP) leader Jayant Patil had moved an adjournment motion in the council demanding a discussion on the border row. He alleged that the Congress is doing injustice to Maharashtra since its creation in 1960. Shiv Sena’s Diwakar Raote and BJP’s Chandrakant Patl also condemned Karnataka government for the lathi charge on protestors in Belgaum on Monday.

The Centre, in reply to Maharashtra’s claim over Karnataka’s Marathi-speaking districts like Gulbarga and Belgaum, had told the Supreme Court last week that language cannot be the only criteria for deciding state boundaries. However, the Centre’s stance has led to a flurry of protests in Maharashtra as well as border areas of Karnataka. The SC on Monday allowed the Maharashtra government to file an amended application to challenge the validity of the State Re-organisation Act.
The issue was also raised in the legislative assembly leading to two adjournments of the House proceedings.