Belagavi (Karnataka): With Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray calling for the integration of Belagavi and other Marathi-dominant areas of Karnataka into Maharashtra, a few Marathi-speaking Twitterati from the city said they were happy in Karnataka.
A Marathi tweet from an unofficial account with the username 'Uddhav Thackeray' called for the declaring Belagavi a Union Territory till the issue remains in court.
Pertinently, the Maharashtra Chief Minister himself in reality had made the same statement. At the launch of the book 'Maharashtra-Karnataka Seemawaad: Sangharsh and Sankalp' Thackeray had said that areas dominated by Marathi-speaking people on the state's border with Karnataka should be declared as a Union Territory till the Supreme Court gives its final verdict.
Replying to the tweet from the unofficial account, perhaps mistaking it for the Chief Minister's official account, a few netizens, claiming to be from Belagavi, said they were happy in Karnataka, and instead urged Thackeray to mend affairs in his own state.
"No need, I am from Belgaum, everything is fine. You first set your house right and don't worry about Belgaum, it doesn't matter as far as we are in India. (sic)" a user named Sunil Nadkarni replied.
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"I agree with you...have been living in Maharashtra since last 5 years...but am from Belgaum.. people in Maharashtra are only cribbing about there government...no need...some belgaumites really have no clue how privileged we are, (sic)" another user named Tejas Patil chipped in.
"...basic facilities like roads and street lights are issues. Forget bigger things... functioning of government offices is a much bigger issue... blessed that u in Karnataka. (sic)" Patil replied to another user.
Senior Journalist urges Karnataka to release book on 'mischief' of MES:
Meanwhile, senior journalist and Kannada activist Mehboob Makandar urged the Karnataka government to release a book about the "mischief" of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (Committee for Integration with Maharashtra), a linguistic socio-political committee based out of Belagavi.
Speaking to reporters after submitting his request to the Chief Minister through the District Collector, Mehboob said, "The Maharashtra government has frequently raked up the issue. Now, the Government of Maharashtra has officially published a book on the stance and events of Maharashtra from 1956 till now."
"Thus, the Karnataka government should also work on a book titled 'MES Kithapathi' (Mischief of MES) on the antics of MES and Shiv Sena in Karnataka since 1956," he added.
