Belagavi, Dec 10 (IANS): Reacting to Maharashtra MLA Aaditya Thackeray's statement that Belagavi should be declared a Union Territory (UT) until the dispute is resolved, Karnataka Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi told the Maharashtra leader not to interfere in the matter.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray is the Shiv Sena-UBT's legislature party leader. He demanded that the Centre should grant UT status to Belagavi.
Speaking to the media at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Monday, Minister Tangadagi stated, “If statements like these continue to be made regarding Belagavi, the people of Karnataka will definitely express their outrage.”
“On behalf of the state government, I want to convey clearly: do not attempt to raise the Belagavi issue again. If you do, you will face the anger of Kannada people. This is a warning from our side,” Minister Tangadagi said, referring to Aaditya Thackeray.
Minister Tangadagi further added, “Poor Aaditya Thackeray does not seem to understand why Union Territories are formed. Belagavi has a large number of Kannada-speaking people. The Karnataka government has built the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here, and assembly sessions are conducted every year. It appears that Aaditya Thackeray lacks the necessary information and understanding.”
He noted that leaders from Maharashtra have been making similar statements for a long time, but separating Belagavi from Karnataka is impossible.
“It is not appropriate for Aaditya Thackeray to speak without understanding the facts. In my personal opinion, he should educate himself better,” Tangadagi added.
When asked about Thackeray's specific suggestion that Belagavi should be made a Union Territory until a decision is reached, Minister Tangadagi responded, “Let him review all the reports submitted so far regarding the Belagavi dispute.”
“If one goes through the findings and recommendations of those reports, it will become clear that Belagavi undoubtedly belongs to Karnataka and remains an integral part of the state. The question of separating it does not arise,” he concluded.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday boycotted the customary address of the Governor to the joint session of the Maharashtra Legislature in the wake of developments in Belagavi, where the Karnataka government refused permission.
Aaditya said that the Marathi-speaking people in Belagavi are being suppressed. "Since Sunday, the situation has been deteriorating in the region. Our party workers are being detained,” he stated.
The border town of Belagavi has been a part of Karnataka since boundaries were demarcated along linguistic lines under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. But the inter-state border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra erupts every now and then.
The Maharashtra government filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging the State Reorganisation Act, 1956 in 2004. It demanded 865 villages and places from five Karnataka districts to be merged with the state.
The dispute also gave birth to Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in Belgaum, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. Karnataka changed the name of Belgaum to Belagavi and built a second legislature in the district.