Fadnavis' statement on boundary provocative, says RDPR minister

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR)Minister H K Patil, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of handling the Belagavi boundary dispute, has come down heavily on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for reportedly stating that certain areas of Karnataka would made part of Maharashtra.

Referring to Fadnavis’ statement during the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Pimpri, Pune, recently, Patil said that on Monday the Maharashtra chief minister had said that the Belagavi, Karwar and Nippani in Karnataka would be made part of a ‘united Maharashtra.’
Addressing mediapersons here in Bengaluru, the minister said the “provocative” and “irresponsible” statement made by Fadnavis was an attempt to create “disharmony” in both the states.

He said that not only were the Mahajan Commission recommendations in favour of Karnataka, the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held in Belagavi in 1929, too, had arrived at a consensus that the district belonged to Karnataka.

Staking claim
Despite this, Maharashtra had moved the Supreme Court, staking claim to parts of North Karnataka.

“After 43 years, Maharashtra raised the matter before the court, and now it is doing the same before the people. The chief minister, who holds a responsible position, should not be provoking people in this manner,” he said.

He said that the intention of the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s statement might have been be to gain political mileage and earn brownie points.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take suo motu cognisance of the statement and advise the “concerned” to be act and speak in a more  responsible manner.