Act against divisive elements, Bommai to CM Shinde

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday urged his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde to take “immediate action” against those trying to create a divide between the two states.

“India is a union of states. Every state has its own right. States are formed by law. And, the law is very clear: it’s the duty of the respective governments to maintain law-and-order and see to it that there’s peace and tranquility,” Bommai told reporters.

“We are law-abiding people. We’re within our rights. It was Maharashtra that filed a case in 2004 and we’ve bene fighting a legal battle,” Bommai maintained, adding that he was confident that Karnataka would win the case. “We’re on a strong wicket.”

Asked about holding talks with Maharashtra, Bommai said he would discuss it in an all-party meeting next week. “I’ve made it very clear that our first priority is to fight the legal battle. When the case is pending before the Supreme Court, ultimately it is the Supreme Court that has to take a call,” he said.

Bus services hit

Meanwhile, the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) on Friday stopped bus service to Maharashtra following the escalation of tension along the Karnataka and Maharashtra border. The Maharashtra-bound buses returned from Kognoli check-post in Nippani taluk on Friday afternoon.

The decision followed after miscreants targeted NWKRTC bus near Daund in Pune on Thursday. They painted the bus with anti-Karnataka slogans. The Maharashtra RTC has also stopped running buses to Karnataka.

NWKRTC Belagavi Divisional Traffic Officer K K Lamani said, movement of buses stopped by both NWKRTC and MSRTC in the interests of safety of commuters. We will resume the bus service once the tension reduces.

There are indications that buses will start running between the states soon, he added.