Maha-Karnataka border: Bommai, Fadnavis engage in verbal duel

Reacting to Bommai's claim that some villages in Maharashtra's Sangli district passed a resolution to merge with Karnataka, Fadnavis said “no village from Maharashtra will go anywhere”.

Bengaluru:Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai andMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday jibed at each other amid a fresh flare-up of the decades old Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute. In a series of tweets, Bomai said that Fadnavis has made a “provocative statement on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue and his dream will never come true”.

“Our government is committed to protecting the country's land, water and borders. There is no question of giving up any space in the border districts of Karnataka. Our demand is that the Kannada speaking areas of Maharashtra like Sollapur and Akkalakote should join Karnataka,” he said. Bommai said that since 2004, the Maharashtra government has filed a case in the Supreme Court over the border issue between the two states.

“So far not successful. It won't happen anymore. We are ready to make our legal fight strong”. Fadnavis on Wednesday said that “no village from Maharashtra will go anywhere” while reacting to Bommai's claim that some villages in Maharashtra's Sangli district passed a resolution to merge with Karnataka.

Fadnavis said the Government of Maharashtra is committed to the integrity of the state. He said that the state government “will fight for the inclusion of not only Belgaum where Marathi speakers are located, but also Karwar and Nippani villages”. The border dispute dates back to 1953, when the Maharashtra government objected to the inclusion of 865 villages - including Belgaum - in the Mysore state, even though they were geographically located in the Mumbai region.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter this month.