Maharashtra Assembly passes resolution on border row, Karnataka CM says "not an inch" will be ceded

Nagpur/Belgavi [India], December 27 : Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution on the dispute with Karnataka over border areas saying that the state will legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages that are in Karnataka.
In an apparent reaction to the move, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that "not an inch of land will be ceded to Maharashtra" and that the state is confident of getting justice as the states have been organised on the basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956.
Amid the row, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the "disputed areas" in should be declared as Union Territory.
Maharashtra Chief minister Eknath Shinde tabled the resolution in the state Assembly on the state's dispute with Karnataka over border areas.
The resolution was passed unanimously. It says that Maharashtra will fight the pending case in the Supreme Court with full strength for inclusion of each and every inch of 865 villages including Belgavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar Bhalki in Maharashtra.
The resolution also condemned the Karnataka administration for "its anti-Marathi stand" in the border areas.
The resolution said the Maharashtra government will stand behind the Marathi people in border areas and will go for a legal fight in the Supreme Court to ensure that these areas become a part of the state.
The Central Government should urge the Karnataka Government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the government should be given an understanding that would guarantee the safety of the Marathi people in the border areas, the resolution said.
The Maharashtra assembly resolution came days after Karnataka Assembly passed a unanimous resolution last week over the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue and condemned statements made by some Maha ministers on the issue. The resolution said that legal action will be taken against any minister if they continue to make statements over the issue.
Uddhav Thackeray, who spoke to the reporters on Tuesday in Nagpur, demanded that the "disputed areas" should be declared as Union Territory.
He said the party supported the resolution in the Maharashtra assembly. "Whatever happens in favour of Maharashtra, we will support it. But there are some questions. For over two years, people (living in border areas) have been demanding that their areas be included in Maharashtra. What are we doing about that?" Thakeray asked.
"Today government replied that the disputed area cannot be declared as a Union Territory as said by Supreme Court in 2008. However, the situation is not the same now. The Karnataka government is not following it. They are doing an Assembly session there and renamed Belagavi. So we should go to Supreme Court and urge it to declare it as UT," he said.
Uddhav Thackeray had raised the demand in Legislative Council on Monday. He had said that Marathi people residing in the border villages have faced "injustice".
"Marathi-speaking people have been residing in the border villages for generations. Their daily life, language and lifestyle are Marathi. They do not understand Kannad," he said speaking in the Upper House.
Basavaraj Bommai, who was in Belgavi, said the Karnataka government is fully committed to protecting every bit of land.
Bommai said Karnataka is confident of getting justice as the states have been organised on the basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956.
"Not an inch of Karnataka will be ceded to Maharashtra at any cost. The Karnataka government is fully committed to protecting every bit of land. States have been organised on basis of the States Reorganisation Act 1956. Maharashtra politicians are doing such things as their case pending before Supreme Court is very weak," Bommai told reporters.
The Karnataka Chief Minister said Maharashtra leaders know that their case is very weak.
"The resolution of the Karnataka Assembly is very clear and the State is clear in its stand which is constitutionally and legally valid. The people of both States are living cordially. The Maharashtra politicians are known for such tricks as they know well that their case is very weak. The Karnataka government is committed to Kannadigas living in the neighbouring state. We are right constitutionally and legally," Bommai added.
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar also condemned the Maharashtra Assembly resolution and called it a political gimmick.
"There is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in both States and in the Centre. There was no need to pass the resolution. It is done because of elections. We know how to protect our people. They might speak Marathi but live in Karnataka. We condemn this resolution," Shivakumar told reporters.
Karnataka legislature had said that the state's stand over the border issue is a settled and not an inch of land will be given to the neighbouring state.
The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka dates back to the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956. The then Maharashtra government had demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.
Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. The Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but the proposal was turned down by Karnataka. Both governments later approached the Supreme Court to settle the matter.