Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Row: NCP’s Sule Seeks Home Ministry’s Intervention

New Delhi:  Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday sought intervention of the Union Home Ministry in the ongoing border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Sule said people of Maharashtra are getting "beaten up" every day despite the BJP being the ruling party in both the states.

"In the last 10 days a conspiracy is being hatched to break Maharashtra. (Home Minister) Amit Shah should intervene in the
matter," she said.

BJP MPs from Karnataka objected to Sule's remark, saying the matter is sub judice.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said it is a sensitive issue and is a matter between two states.

NCP members staged a walk out from the House in protest.

The border dispute has led to clashes between the two states recently.

The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of the southern state.

Karnataka, however, considers the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.

Activists of Swarajya Sanghatana Deface Signboard

Nashik: Activists of Swarajya Sanghatana on Wednesday smeared black paint on the signboard of Karnataka Bank at its branch in Nashik city of Maharashtra amid a simmering border dispute between the two states.

They wrote 'Jai Maharashtra' on the shutter of the bank and shouted slogans against the Karnataka government.

The Sanghatana was founded by Sambhajiraje Bhosale Chhatrapati, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

At least 20 activists of the Sanghatana clad in black clothes and holding saffron flags carried out the protest at the Canada Corner
branch of the Karnataka Bank in the morning.

 “If organisations in Karnataka think they have achieved something big by damaging vehicles from Maharashtra, we warn them we will not allow even a single vehicle from Karnataka to enter Maharashtra. We will not allow Karnataka people to do any business here," said Swarajya Sanghatana spokesperson Karan Gaikar.

Similarly, at least four buses from Karnataka were defaced in Pune district allegedly by activists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Gaikar said if the Maharashtra government fails to give a befitting reply to the Karnataka government, activists of the Sanghatana will go to Karnataka.