CM Bommai condemns painting of pro-Maharashtra slogans on Karnataka buses

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday condemned the alleged incidents of painting of Karnataka buses with proMaharashtra slogans and appealed to the Eknath Shinde government to take immediate steps to put a stop to thisBommai also said such incidents will create a division among the states and hence Maharashtra should act swiftlyReports from Pune said a group of activists allegedly from a proMarathi outfit painted stateowned buses with slogans such as Jai Maharashtra in black ink and raised slogans against BommaiThe alleged incidents come amidst a war of words between leaders of the two states over the interstate boundary dispute over BelagaviOur India is a union of states Every state has got its own rights These states were formed under the State Reorganisation Act The law is very clear and it is the duty of the respective government to maintain peace law and order and see that there is peace and tranquility between the states Bommai told reporters hereReacting to the incidents of painting buses he said If somebody is doing it painting vehicles I condemn it and I urge the Maharashtra government to take immediate action and stop thisIt will create a divide among the States Therefore the Maharashtra government should act swiftly I especially urge the Deputy Chief Minister the Home Minister of the state Devendra Fadnavis to take immediate action the Chief Minister saidAlso Read Border row Bommai to convene allparty meet next weekHe said We are lawabiding people and we are within our rightsMaharashtra filed a case in 2004 in the Supreme Court and Karnataka has been fighting a legal battle which will continue in future also Bommai saidWe are confident that justice is with us We will fight with all our might We will safeguard our boundaries and our people Bommai saidOn whether he would hold talks with the Maharashtra government Bommai said I made it very clear yesterday that our first priority is to fight a legal battle because ultimately when the case is pending before the Supreme Court ultimately the Supreme Court has to take a callAccording to him the case filed by Maharashtra is not on the merit of the application petition but it is on the maintainability of the caseArticle three of the Indian constitution is very clear about the state reorganisation I dont want to say anything Let the Supreme Court take a call on thatHe reiterated an allparty meeting has been convened next week to discuss the boundary dispute issueThe Karnataka Chief Minister had claimed that the predominantly Kannadaspeaking Panchayats in Jat Taluka in Sangli district of Maharashtra had passed resolutions in the past to merge with Karnataka when there was a severe drought situation and acute drinking water crisis and his government had evolved schemes to help them by providing water The state government is seriously considering it he had saidHe had also said Karnatakas argument is also merger of predominantly Kannadaspeaking Solapur and Akkalkot areas of Maharashtra with KarnatakaBommais statements had evoked sharp reactions from Maharashtra leadersFadnavis said earlier this week 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 BelgaumKarwarNipaniThe dispute over Belagavi dates back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of States on linguistic linesEarlier this week the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra appointed two ministers to coordinate with the legal team regarding the court case on the dispute set to come up in the Supreme CourtBommai said soon after that the state has deployed a battery of top lawyers including Mukul Rohatgi and Shyam Diwan to fight its caseMaharashtra Chief Minister Shinde said earlier this week Late Balasaheb Thackeray was always a staunch supporter of the states demand to make Belgaum Belagavi a part of Maharashtra We have concentrated our focus on solving the issue If required the number of lawyers would be increasedMaharashtra has laid claim on Belagavi earlier known as Belgaum which was part of the Bombay Presidency at the time of independence on linguistic groundsBelagavi bordering Maharashtra has a significant population of Marathispeaking people and had for decades been a bone of contention between the two StatesKarnataka has repeatedly maintained that the Mahajan Commission report on the border issue is final and there is no question of letting go even an inch of Karnatakas borderThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever