Maharashtra-Karnataka border row: Declare disputed region as UT, says Uddhav Thackeray

Thackeray said a resolution should be passed in the House declaring the disputed border area as UT till the Supreme Court gives its judgment on the issue and sent to the Centre. “This is an important issue. This is not a case of language and the border but of humanity. I am glad that at least on this both ruling and opposition sides have come together,” he added.

“This fight has been going on for almost 56 years. Marathi language has been rooted in the border area since the time when the states were formed on linguistic basis. Citizens living there for many years speak Marathi language. This fight is not political,” Thackeray said.

While asking members of both Houses to watch a movie called “Case for Justice” and read the Mahajan Commission report on the border issue, he said, “In the 1970s, a film was made on the citizens of the border area by the Maharashtra government. How Marathi language has been used in the border area since the 18th century is portrayed in that film. I am giving a pen drive in the House which contains that movie. I want you to show this film to the members of both Houses, so that everyone will know for what reason this resolution is.”

Thackeray also asked if Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said a single word on the issue and questioned the stand taken by the state government on it. He also asked if the Shinde government had the courage to act against some of the gram panchayats of Maharashtra which had demanded a merger with Telangana, like Karnataka had done when some gram panchayats had passed similar resolutions.

“We don’t want a single inch of land in Karnataka but we want our land back,” he said.

“If we are passing a resolution then the resolution must have this demand of declaring Karnataka-occupied Maharashtra as a Union Territory and the atrocities on the Marathi-speaking people by Karnataka should stop. I request the House to pass this resolution today itself and send it to the Centre,” Thackeray said.

Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar also raised the issue questioning the government as to why the resolution has not been brought in the House even after a week after the Winter Session began. “We had decided to bring a resolution on the border dispute today but it has been delayed. At a time when the Karnataka chief minister is making provocative statements, our government is silently listening to him,” Pawar said.

While replying to Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Lower House that they had planned to bring the resolution on Monday but on an invitation from the central government, Shinde had to go to Delhi but he will be back by evening and the resolution will be brought in the House on Tuesday.

“It was Veer Baldivas today and for that I was invited to Delhi. We are going to bring a resolution on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border (Belagavi) in the session tomorrow,” Shinde said after returning from Delhi on Monday evening.

BJP MLC Pravin Darekar said in the Council that “there is need to show that we all are with the citizens living on the border area. But it seems that there is a hurry (on the Opposition’s part) and there is a fight going on to take credit. It is portrayed as if the ruling side is against the citizens living on the border area. But we are with them.”