Maharashtra ministers Chandrakanth Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, who were scheduled to reach Belagavi on Saturday amid the border tussle with Karnataka, have postponed the visit. Patil tweeted that they will now visit Belagavi on December 6.
The Maharashtra delegation, also comprising MP Dhairyasheel Mane, was set tovisit Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Garden in Shahpur, followed by Martyr’s Memorial at Hindalga. They were also set to meet leaders of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi and visit the families of some of those who were killed in police firing on June 1, 1986, during a protest opposing the decision to make Kannada a compulsory language in schools, Indian Express reported.
Security has been tightened in the border districts amid amplified tensions as Kannada activists protest the delegation's planned visit. The development also comes as the Supreme Court hears Maharashtra's petition over the dispute.
The police from both states have set up 21 joint check posts in the border areas, according to reports. The Karnataka police are keeping an eye on protests and anti-social elements ahead of the winter session of the Assembly, scheduled to be held in Belagavi from December 19.
The border dispute dates back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 80 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.
Last week, the political row gathered steam after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed two ministers to coordinate with the legal team regarding the case in the Supreme Court. Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said soon after that the state has deployed a battery of top lawyers, including Mukul Rohatgi and Shyam Diwan, to fight its case.
Adding to the political heat, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis said: “No village in Maharashtra will go to Karnataka. The state government will fight strongly in the Supreme Court to get Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka including Belgaum-Karwar-Nipani.”
