Seeking to blunt the Maha Vikas Aghadi's charge on the boundary dispute with Karnataka, the Maharashtra government on Sunday said that it has intelligence report on who is "trying to provoke villagers" to demand going to other states, which it would make public soon.
Talking to reporters on the eve of the Nagpur winter session, CM Eknath Shinde said that the meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah was a major step in resolving the issue.
“Myself and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis travelled to New Delhi…Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra too came to the national capital where the meeting was held,” Shinde said.
The government strongly stands behind the Marathi-speaking people on the Karnataka side, he said.
On the villages of Jath passing resolutions to merge in Karnataka, Fadnavis said: “It may be mentioned that the resolutions were passed in 2013 when the Democratic Front government (Congress-NCP) were in power. However, in 2016 after we (BJP-Shiv Sena government) came in power, 77 villages were given water connection.”
Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister, said: “We have (collected) intelligence report that all these (demand of separating from Maharashtra) and merging in other states (like Gujarat, Karnataka and Telangana are part of a design, we have information on who are fuelling it, who are provoking villagers (to make such demands). We will give you the information.”
Published 18 December 2022, 13:35 IST