Amit Shah to convene meet with Shinde, Bommai on border row

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with Karnataka and Maharashtra Chief Ministers to soothe tempers on the border dispute between the two states here on December 14 (Wednesday).

After both Chief Ministers indulged in a war of words on the issue followed by incidents of stone pelting at border areas, Shah decided to convene the meeting. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have confirmed their participation in the meeting.

In the meeting, Shah is likely to ask both leaders not to make provocative statements and request them to maintain peace at border areas. Since the matter is in the Supreme Court, Shah is unlikely to take any major decision on the dispute.

The border dispute dates back to the 1960s after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 80 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka. However, Karnataka has refused to part with its territory.