Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. , Photo Credit: PTI
Hitting out at Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy’s comment on declaring Mumbai a Union Territory, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the Kannada-speaking population in Mumbai was never ill-treated.
“Unlike the persecution of the Marathi-speaking population in Belagavi or the border districts of Karnataka, the Kannada-speaking population in the city of Mumbai has never been ill-treated. Mumbai has always been welcoming and respectful to people from across the country, be it UP or West Bengal,” he said.
Mr Raut further said, “Due to the continuous oppression of the Marathi-speaking population in Belagavi for more than 70 years, we have demanded that the district be brought under the rule of the Centre.”
Recently, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the disputed districts along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border be brought under the rule of the Centre, till the Supreme Court decides on the issue.
Responding to this, the Law Minister of Karnataka had said that Mumbai could be a Union Territory and not Belagavi district.
In early December, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists vandalized trucks in Maharashtra and staged a strong protest against allowing any minister to enter Karnataka’s Marathi-speaking districts like Belagavi. This led to many buses in Karnataka being painted black by Maharashtra parties like the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.
Amidst the border dispute between the two states, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the Chief Ministers of both the states and asked them not to claim any territory or make any demands till the decision of the Supreme Court.
Since late November, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stirred a political storm after he remarked for the first time that his BJP government was “seriously considering” a proposal to include the Jat taluk in western Maharashtra’s Sangli district Is. Following a sharp reaction from the opposition MVA, Maharashtra Deputy CM and state BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said there was no question of the state giving even an inch of land to Karnataka.
Subsequently, Mr. Bommai said that Solapur city and Akkalkot (in Solapur district) should also be a part of Karnataka.