K'taka leaders slam Maha for claim to 865 villages

NT Correspondent

Belagavi / Bengaluru: On a day when the Maharashtra Legislature unanimously passed a resolution to "legally pursue" inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the western state, Karnataka reacted angrily to the resolution amid the raging boundary dispute between the two states terming it as "irresponsible and against the federal structure."

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai once again asserted that not even an inch of the state's land will be ceded. He also expressed confidence about getting justice in the Supreme Court, as Karnataka's stand on the issue is both legal and constitutional.

"It has been so long since the State Reorganisation Act 1956 came in, and people on both sides are living peacefully. Maharashtra has the practice of making such statements and resolutions for the sake of their politics," Bommai said adding that his government is committed to protect the interest of Kannadigas on the other side of the border.

"Look at the difference between our resolution and theirs, we are saying that we will not cede our land, while they want to take our land. There is no meaning to such things when the matter is before the Supreme Court," he added.

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly last week had unanimously passed a resolution on the border row with Maharashtra, resolving to protect the state's interests and not to cede an inch of land to its neighbour. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah said Maharashtra has no right to make such a resolution and it has no value, as the Mahajan Commission report is final on the border issue.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar too asserted that not even a single village will be ceded to Maharashtra, as he condemned the resolution passed in the neighbouring state's legislature regarding inclusion of Marathispeaking villages here.

The border row had intensified in the last few weeks, with vehicles from either side being targeted, leaders from both the States weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being detained.