'PM Modi should clarify his stand on Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute': Uddhav Thackeray

New Delhi: A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nagpur, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday (December 10, 2022) said that the PM should make his stand clear on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. Speaking at the inauguration of the 42nd Marathwada Sahitya Sammelan (literary meet) in Jalna district, Thackeray, a former chief minister, also said that Modi should speak on Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai who is staking a claim on some villages in Maharashtra.

"PM Narendra Modi is coming to inaugurate Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway and we welcome him. During his visit, he should clarify his stand on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute," Thackeray said. 

"He should speak about the Karnataka chief minister who is staking a claim on some villages in Maharashtra," he added. 

संत रामदास कला, वाणिज्य व विज्ञान महाविद्यालय, घनसावंगी यांच्या रौप्य महोत्सवी वर्षानिमित्त आयोजित ४२ व्या मराठवाडा साहित्य संमेलनाला पक्षप्रमुख उद्धवसाहेब ठाकरे उदघाटक म्हणून उपस्थित राहिले.
उपस्थितांशी संवाद साधून त्यांनी संमेलनाला शुभेच्छा दिल्या! pic.twitter.com/rNp90jvXX9 — ShivSena - शिवसेना (@ShivSena) December 10, 2022

What is Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute?

The decades-old Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute has simmered again in the last couple of weeks with leaders from both states making controversial statements. Incidents of violence were also reported from both sides of the border. 

The border row dates back to 1957 when the states were being reorganised on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi (formerly Belgaum), which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also staked claim to 814 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka. 

Karnataka, on the other hand, maintains that the demarcation on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and 1967 Mahajan Commission Report was final. 

MVA leaders vitiating atmosphere: BJP on Maha-Karnataka row 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrashekar Bawankule said the Supreme Court should pass judgment on the border dispute soon as the situation is getting "tense" and law and order issues have been reported in border areas. 

Bawankule also accused leaders of the MVA (which comprises Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Nationalist Congress Party, and Congress) of vitiating the atmosphere for political gains. 

"This case should be taken up urgently by requesting the Supreme Court as the situation is getting tense and incidents of law and order being disturbed are cropping up," the BJP leader said. 

He also appealed to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai not to make statements "against the interests of people of Maharashtra."

The boundary dispute has put the BJP in a spot as it is in power in both states. 

(With agency inputs)