MES rally in Belagavi evokes poor response

A rally organised by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) here on Thursday to protest against alleged excesses meted out to Marathi-speaking people, evoked poor response.

The rally also demanded all government documents in Marathi and condemned the statement of Urban Development Minister R Roshan Baig that amendments would be made to the law to rein in anti-Karnataka activities.

The district administration had banned the entry of Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote and other elected representatives from the neighbouring state, stating that their participation and pro-Maharashtra speeches would create law and order problems. Raote was stopped by the district police at Kognoli in Chikkodi taluk on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway and apprised of the ban. The minister decided to go back to Kolhapur along with his supporters.

A section of MES office bearers and elected representatives including MLAs Sambhaji Patil and Arvind Patil participated in the rally and raised ‘Jai Maharashtra’ slogans and dared the state government to act against them.

MES activists took out a rally from Sambhaji Circle to the deputy commissioner’s office. They displayed placards in support of their demands and raised slogans demanding merger of the Marathi-speaking areas of the state with Maharashtra.

Addressing the protestors, the two MLAs said that they would stand by the agenda of the MES as Marathi-speaking people were ‘subjected to atrocities’ to the state since 1956.