Don't wake a sleeping lion, KSP chief warns Maharashtra leaders

Sahitya Parishat president Manu Baligar on Saturday hit out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena leaders for raking up the boundary row.

Speaking at the 14th district Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at Kagwad, Baligar the Maharashtra leaders should stop provoking Kannadigas on the boundary issue. "Do not wake a sleeping lion with your baseless statements on Belagavi issue, he warned."

"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his party leaders are playing divisive politics to further their political interests. People of both Karnataka and Maharashtra have rejected their divisive agenda. Kannadigas are peace loving people. Don't provoke them," Baligar said using the lion metaphor.

Kannada activists retaliate

Meanwhile, in a tit-for-tat, Kannada activists on Friday stuck posters to Maharashtra RTC buses, saying the Kannada-speaking areas in Maharashtra should be incorporated in Karnataka.

In retaliation for the pro-Marathi posters pasted to KSRTC buses in Maharashtra, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists in Nippani sticked posters to MSRTC buses reading the Kannada-speaking areas in Maharashtra - Sangli, Akkalkot, Solapur, Ichalkaranji and Kolahpur - should be merged with Karnataka.