Maharashtra CM's tweet enrages Kannada activists

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's tweet that he would get Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka with his state Maharashtra has enraged Kannada activists here.

In a tweet paying tributes to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary dispute on Sunday, Thackeray stated that getting Marathi speaking areas from Karnataka into Maharashtra was a homage to them.

Kannada activists have cautioned to stage a protest on Monday against the statement.

Belagavi District Kannada Organisations Action Committee President Ashok Chandargi said that Maharashtra has filed suit in the Supreme Court to get the boundary dispute resolved in the year 2004, but cautioning movement on road amounts to contempt. It should either fight the case in the apex court or the street, he said.

Thackeray has appointed two ministers, Chhagan Bhujbal and Eknath Shinde, as in-charge of the boundary dispute and to oversee the case in the apex court, but the state government was yet to depute a minister, he said.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa or his cabinet colleagues should have replied to the Maharashtra chief minister, but have remained silent, he stated.

Chandargi demanded that the state government should appoint a minister in-charge of the boundary dispute. The previous government under Siddaramaiah had given the responsibility to H K Patil.

Chairman of Boundary Protection Commission should be from the region who have concern towards state and should not be an appointment for political rehabilitation, he expressed.