Dismissed Belgaum council members seek Thackeray's support

Days after Karnataka's Bharatiya Janta Party government dismissed the elected council of Belgaum's civic body, former mayor Manda Balekundri Sunday met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and sought his support in the matter.

"We are seeing support from Shiv Sena and we are sure they will come out in support of Marathi-speaking people in the city," Balekundri told media persons after the meeting."He (Thackeray) has assured to raise the issue in the Maharashtra assembly's monsoon session (starting Monday)," she added.

Later, a delegation of Shiv Sena leaders led by its executive president Uddhav Thackeray along with Balekundri and other corporators from the Belgaum City Council met Governor K. Sankaranarayanan.

Terming the dismissal of the Belgaum Municipal Corporation as "unfair and vindictive", they urged him to request President Pratibha Patil to revoke the decision and to reinstate the council.

The Belgaum city corporation was superseded Tuesday, flouting the state high court order. The action happened the second time in seven months, citing several reasons.

In his party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackrey had, earlier this week, asked President Patil to "hang" the Karnataka government for its "anti-Marathi stand".

He had also accused the "impotent" Maharashtra government of not doing anything to help the Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka.