Amid the raging border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over claims for Belagavi and 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka, Maharashtra Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appealed for peace, even as there are reports of trucks and vehicles bearing Maharashtra registration being targeted in Karnataka.
As tensions escalated, Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Tuesday afternoon suspended the bus services to the neighbouring state. MSRTC vice chairman and managing director Shekhar Channe said the decision was taken considering the safety of passengers travelling to Karnataka and to avoid damage to their property. The period during which the bus services will remain suspended is not known.
In a bid to bring the situation under control, Fadnavis pointed out that the Constitution provides everyone the right to live and work in any state. He said he spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai about stone-pelting incidents on vehicles entering Karnataka from his state and received a “positive response.”
“I will take this issue to Home Minister Amit Shah. I request people of Maharashtra to not react,” Fadnavis was quoted as saying.
Fadnavis also said NCP chief Sharad Pawar need not visit Karnataka. Pawar had termed the situation in the border areas of the two states as "worrisome", and said the time has come to take a stand after seeing what is happening there.
"There is a decision pending in court. I would request people to not react as every action has a reaction. We should be thinking about progress and development and such a dispute will impact both sides," News18 quoted the Maharashtra deputy chief minister as saying.
Sources close to Fadnavis said he "made a phone call to Bommai and expressed his disappointment over the Hirebaugwadi incident."
People threw stones at vehicles entering Karnataka from Maharashtra near a toll booth at Hirebaugwadi in Belagavi.
"The Karnataka Chief Minister assured Fadnavis of strong action against the perpetrators. He also assured Fadnavis that vehicles entering Karnataka from Maharashtra will be given proper protection," the sources added.
The border issue dates back to 1957 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 sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.
Karnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.
As an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of the state, Karnataka has built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of legislature in Bengaluru, and a legislature session is held there annually.
—With PTI inputs
