Laxmi Hebbalkar.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The opposition BJP and JD(S) on Monday came down heavily on Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar over her recent statement that ‘Belagavi was part of Maharashtra before independence’.
The BJP leaders demanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drop Hebbalkar from his Cabinet for her unwarranted statement.
In a recent programme in Belagavi, the minister had stated that Belagavi was part of Maharashtra before independence.
“However, both Karnataka and Maharashtra share many commonalities and we were living cordially. We are blessed to be part of Karnataka now,” Belagavi Rural MLA had said
In a post on X, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged, “Her statement is nothing but a political gimmick and as a minister she has tried to disturb the linguistic harmony at a time when the elections (Lok Sabha) are fast approaching. This is a calculated political move by a minister who often terms herself as ‘proud Kannadathi’,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka alleged that she is politicising the border dispute for the sake of Maratha votes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Terming her statement as ‘immature’, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that as a Cabinet minister she should be aware of the issue (border dispute) which is pending in the Supreme Court. “She does not deserve to be the minister,” he said.
Slamming Hebbalkar, Janata Dal (S) state president H D Kumaraswamy mockingly said that the minister seems to be still enamoured by Maharashtra, therefore she is making such statements.