At a time when linguistic sentiments were on high and noise on high decibels regarding the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary dispute in both the states, Maharashtra Technological Education Minister and in-charge of boundary dispute Chandrakant Patil has announced that he and Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai will hold a meeting with leaders of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) here on December 3, and hear their grievances.
Supreme Court was slated to hear the boundary case on November 23, resulting in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde holding a meeting of the High Power Committee on the boundary dispute last Monday and deputing Chandrakant Patil and Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai as in-charge minister for coordinating with the legal team on the vexed dispute.
It was followed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai too holding a meeting with the legal team regarding the state’s stand in the apex court and also announced to hold an all-party meeting on it.
Statements by Shinde, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that Maharashtra would reclaim Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka and Bommai staking a claim on Jat, Akkalkot and Solapur flared up linguistic sentiments.
Apex court has scheduled a hearing of the boundary dispute case hearing on November 30.
Karnataka buses were targeted in Maharashtra and stoned. Slogans against Karnataka too were written on them. Bus movement on different interstate routes too was affected and services were stopped to ensure the safety of commuters.
MES leaders on Sunday had written a letter to Patil urging him to hold a meeting in Belagavi for a day and hear grievances of Marathi-speaking people with boundary dispute pending in the apex court and other issues.
Patil in a tweet on Monday informed that he and Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai will hold a day-long meeting with MES leaders on December 3, and find solutions for the problems being faced by them.
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