Border dispute: Karnataka legislature to pass resolution

The Karnataka legislature will pass a resolution to convey its stand to Maharashtra that borders drawn as per the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, is final.

Speaking in the Assembly during a debate on the Belagavi border dispute, Bommai said both states must respect the States Reorganisation Act and end the issue.

“Let us pass a resolution in both houses (on Wednesday) reiterating our stand,” Bommai said, to which Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and other members concurred.

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Maharashtra has, on linguistic grounds, laid claim on Belagavi (Belgaum), a part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency that is currently one of Karnataka’s largest districts.

Initiating the debate, Siddaramaiah explained how Maharashtra politicians and parties fueled the border dispute since 1967.

The Congress leader said that Karnataka had been exhibiting “utmost patience” in interstate matters and “extreme resilience” while protecting the interests of the state from day one. “It is Maharashtra which is trying to bulldoze the federal structure by fuelling the border and language dispute here,” he said.

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“They’ve kept this issue alive since 1967 only for political reasons. The border issue was settled after the Mahajan Commission submitted its report in 1967. This Commission was constituted on the behest of Maharashtra itself, hence, the matter over border is settled once and for all. Though Karnataka was not happy to accept this report initially, the state was magnanimous enough to welcome it and accept its findings in toto,” Siddaramaiah said.

Referring to Maharashtra’s suit before the Supreme Court filed on March 29, 2004 staking claim on 814 villages in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah asserted that the top court has no jurisdiction over this matter.

“Maharashtra challenged resolutions of the State Reorganisation Act in 2004, which shows how desperate they are to keep this issue alive for their own political gains. But, the case is not maintainable,” he said.