Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute reaches Parliament; NCP MP Supriya Sule urges Amit Shah to intervene
Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, December 7
Simmering Belagavi border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka on Wednesday reached Parliament, with Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule seeking the intervention of the Union Home Ministry in the matter.
The people of Maharashtra are getting “beaten up” every day despite the BJP being in power in both the states, Sule said, speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, and leading to protests from Karnataka BJP MPs.
Referring to violent clashes on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, Sule said, “In the past 10 days, a conspiracy is being hatched to break Maharashtra. (Home Minister) Amit Shah should intervene in the matter.”
Slamming Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, she said “this cannot be allowed…this is one country. I urge Amit Shah to speak up,”, leading to protests from Karnataka BJP MPs and the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP MPs raising slogans against the Karnataka government.
Speaker Om Birla said it is a sensitive issue between the two states. While Birla sought order in the House, leaders from the NCP and Shiv Sena staged a walkout in protest
Amid the prevailing dispute over an issue going back to the implementation of the State Reorganisation Act, of 1956, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut demanded that Belagavi be declared a Union Territory. He also claimed that incidents of violence in Belagavi cannot take place without Delhi’s support.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also said yesterday that he would speak to Shah over the issue.
Bommai too had telephonic talks with his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde. “We both agreed that there should be peace and law and order to be maintained in both the states”, he said.
