Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar along with Ambadas Danve, Nana Patole, Chhagan Bhujbal and Eknath Khadse addressing a press conference on the eve of the winter session of the state assembly, in Nagpur on December 18, 2022. Photo Credit: PTI
After protests in Belagavi by pro-Maharashtra outfit Maharashtra Integration Committee (MES) led to the detention of several state leaders, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) again opened fire against the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government. Tough stance on border issue with Karnataka
Leading the charge on the first day of the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur on Monday, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar questioned Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde as to how Lok Sabha member Dhairysheel Mane could be ‘banned’ from entering Belagavi. Could District officers in Karnataka. The Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who sought to bring “peace” between the two states.
“After meeting with Amit Shah, how can district officials [of Belagavi] Such restrictions on elected public representatives… this kind of dictatorship [on Karnataka’s part] Not correct and the CM and Deputy CM of Maharashtra [Devendra Fadnavis] A tough stand should be taken on this issue,” Mr Pawar said in the Assembly.
In response, Mr Shinde said the issue was one of “Maharashtra’s pride” and that his government had indeed taken a tough stand on the issue. The Chief Minister urged the opposition not to do politics on the matter.
“The Home Minister himself has mediated the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue. There should be no politics on this issue now. There are many other issues on which we can do politics. Instead let us stand behind our Marathi speaking brothers and sisters in the border districts,” Mr. Shinde said.
Hundreds of NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress workers were detained at the border and sent back to Maharashtra while trying to enter Belagavi.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole accused the Center of trying to “divide” Maharashtra by bringing the issue of border dispute with Karnataka to the fore.
But Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the state government will speak with Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on why Maharashtra leaders were stopped from entering Belagavi.
“Karnataka government did not give permission for the democratically organized rally today, which was to be staged by the Maharashtra Integration Committee. Some of our leaders have also been stopped from going there. We will discuss it with the Chief Minister of Karnataka. We are very serious about the border issue and our government is in full accord with the Marathi speaking population in the border districts,” Mr Fadnavis said.
Refusing to react to Mr. Bommai’s controversial tweets, Mr. Fadnavis said that the Chief Minister of Karnataka had already clarified to Home Minister Shah that the provocative tweets – regarding the merger of villages and towns of Maharashtra with Karnataka Not from his Twitter handle.
“We should not do politics on this. yesterday [on Sunday]CM Shinde has sanctioned an amount of over Rs 2,000 crore for the development of 48 villages in Jat tehsil of Sangli, which were facing acute water shortage,” Mr Fadnavis said.